The Devil Does Exist
by Chibi-no-oneesan
Summary: Sarah's had three blissfully normal years. Three years without having to see the Lord of the Labyrinth. Unfortunately, Jareth reappears in her life as Professor J King, and he's got some incriminating pictures of our heroine. JxS
1. Chapter 1

_AN: So, just in case a few of my more 'manga inclined' readers open this thinking it's related to the series Akuma De Sorou (The Devil does Exist, a manga licensed in the US by CMX), it's not. I simply borrowed the title. I know, I know, bad me._

_Disclaimer: None of the Labyrinth issues are the property of the Jim Henson Co. Any other resemblances to other characters/series are simply the result of me being really bad at thinking of names..._

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The Devil Does Exist

By: DemonSaya

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

College had been a dream. Sarah knew this with unerring certainty before she entered her classical literature class. She'd made friends for the first time since she'd run the Labyrinth when she was fifteen. Her delight had increased when she learned that she could call her friends from the Underground friends from any mirror she wished. Now, for the first time, she was living away from home, working part time at a burger joint.

She'd escaped Karen, and to this date, had never again set her eyes upon the wickedly handsome Goblin King. Life was going according to her master plan.

Too bad she didn't know that fate was going to throw a monkey wrench in that grand design of hers.

After all, Sarah had no idea that one Professor King was her childhood nemesis, on a temporary sabbatical from the Goblin Kingdom, leaving it under the control of his very enthusiastic younger brother Rowland.

She was also completely unaware that this particular Enemy turned Professor had entered the same classroom she was about to enter about an hour ago.

Her dream come true was about to spiral uncontrollably into a nightmare.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Sarah had been chatting with her roommate, Christine, and a mutual friend, Elizabeth, as she walked into her Literature class, happily unaware of the man who was standing at the blackboard, jotting down notes. They picked a seat about midway to the back and got comfortable, speaking amicably about the party they intended on going to that weekend.

"Marc is totally into you, Sarah, you should give him a chance." Elizabeth said, laughing.

Sarah laughed softly. "Yeah, and be the latest in a long line of broken hearts and hymens." She scoffed. "The only thing that guy is interested in is another cherry..." She set her books down, noting that her friends were staring at the front of the class in a distracted manner. She glanced and saw a man wearing almost painfully tight looking pants standing at the front of the room, arm stretched above his head as he wrote notes on the board. "What?"

"Oh my god..." They both mumbled. "Those pants are criminal..." There were several murmurs of agreement from nearby females.

Sarah scoffed. "I've seen tighter." She muttered, remembering a certain man whose codpiece was visible. She coughed, sitting in her seat. Oddly enough, the man seemed familiar. He wore a suit vest, and baggy poet's shirt, in addition to those extremely well tailored pants. His pale blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail and he wore leather gloves on his hands.

However, it was when he turned that she finally realized whose assets her friends were checking out. A screech left her lips like steam leaving a kettle and she pushed herself as far backwards as possible. One blue eye, one brown, those deviously slanted brows, lips curled up into an arrogant smirk. Professor J. King was none other than her hated childhood nemesis, Jareth, the Goblin King. Oh, god help her!

Worse yet, her two friends were indulging in a dreamy sigh that made Sarah want to drive her pencil through her ear and swiftly end her life. How had this happened?! No, she had to calm down. Granted, the man had an uncanny resemblance to her childhood villain, but there was no way in hell it was actually him. He a job to do. Babies to steal, goblins to kick into the air, Hoggle to threaten with the Bog. He simply couldn't come up topside and turn her world end over end. Besides, it was against the rules! She'd demanded him out of her life!

Her breaths grew more and more shallow and she felt her nails digging into the desk.

"Well, class, welcome to Literature 111, I'll be your professor for the following semester..." He drawled, his eyes moving over the class easily. He paused when he spotted Sarah, and she knew without a doubt in that moment it really was him. That Cheshire cat smile broadened and he continued. "I'm certain it will be an interesting experience for everyone involved..."

She wanted to swear, to rage. How, oh how had this happened to her? Was it because she didn't go to church. Well, if God struck the Goblin King down right here and now, she promised that she would go to church every Sunday for the rest of her life!

"Please open your text books to page one hundred and thirty seven." He turned his backs to them, but Sarah saw the smile take on a malicious edge and shivered in fear. Oh, heaven help her. She was so perpetually screwed, there wasn't a word to describe just how screwed she was.

"Sarah?" Christine leaned towards her. "You're really pale, you okay?"

She closed her eyes and swallowed hard.

"Do you know him or something?" Elizabeth whispered.

"Or something..." Sarah muttered in agreement.

A piece of chalk hit her in the face and she winced, peeling the offending writing utensil from her face. It had hit her dead between the eyes with considerable force. She looked up and found the instructor looking down at her with an expression of wicked amusement. "It would appear you wish to be the first student to test my considerable patience..." He said in that delightful drawl of his. It didn't go unnoticed that many of the female students and a few males shivered at the sound.

"What?" She asked testily.

"Name?"

She saw the amusement in his eyes deepen and felt like the canary cornered by a hungry cat. Shit shit _shit_. "Sarah Williams."

"Well, then...Miss Williams...consider yourself warned. Any more speaking out in my class will result in sentences after my class." He began moving towards the front of the class once again.

Sarah scowled at him and hurled the offending piece of chalk at his meticulous black vest.

Unfortunately, it landed right into the palm of his hand and he continued moving forward unaffected.

Oh, how she hated that man. She hated him more than she hated anyone else on the planet. Screw with her, eh? We'll just see about that!

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Jareth watched the class clear out in amusement, noting Sarah did her damnedest to avoid looking at him. How refreshingly amusing. It had been three whole years since he'd last seen her, and he had not expected to see her sitting there in his class, but her reactions to his presence had been simply delightful. She may fight against him, kicking and screaming, but in the end, he would finally have his victory over the girl.

He gathered his own belongings, heading towards the door, contemplating how to torture the girl further. Perhaps this vacation in the Above would do him far more good than he'd initially suspected. After all, he sincerely doubted Sarah was aware of his plans for her.

He moved through the hallway, noting Sarah fending off the advances of a pathetic mortal.

"Marc, I really don't think it's a good idea, sorry."

"Come on, babe, it'll be fun. William's taking Elizabeth, and Raoul's going with Christine. It'll suck to be a fifth wheel..."

Jareth felt a deep frown cut across his face, his amusement gone. "Miss Williams, you forgot a book on your desk." He said calmly, leaning against the wall, watching her give him an almost grateful look. He looked towards the young man, who was glaring at him in hatred. He smirked in amusement. "I'm sure your beau wouldn't begrudge you a moment to retrieve it."

Sarah broke away from Marc, practically running back into the room.

Jareth moved towards the young man, an amicable smile upon his face. "You know, young man, sometimes subtlety goes a long way." He moved past him, ignoring the look of unbridled fury on his face. A glance behind him saw Sarah heading the opposite way down the hallway, at practically a sprint. He chuckled in amusement.

This was going to be a delightful year. Perhaps even more delightful than he'd first suspected.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

She'd thought she'd only see the insufferable man once a week, during her literature class. Of course, since that's what Sarah expected, he had to go out of his way to prove her wrong. In fact, it seemed to her that he was going out of his way to be exactly where she went when seeking peace and solace. The library, the cafeteria, and god help her, he even popped into the lavatory once.

She could scarcely sleep for fear that the bastard would pop in when she was sleeping.

It actually came as a relief when she and her friends dressed for the party, and went to go behave like children for a short while. Sarah fully intended on imbibing on a great deal of alcohol to get her mind off the uncontrolled spiral it had begun since the Goblin King had once again graced her with his arrogant presence.

In true party spirit, she wore her tightest leather pants, stiletto boots, and an equally tight leather corset, complete with ribbons and lace. She wore her make-up just edgy enough to feel powerful, and her hair teased just a bit to add volume. She pulled her leather jacket over everything else and headed out of her room, where Christine and Elizabeth were waiting. "Looking good Williams," Christine smirked. "Trying to impress anyone in particular?"

Sarah rolled her eyes, tossing her hair back. "Right. You two don't look too bad yourselves. Then again, you have boyfriends to impress..."

"You could have gone with Marc-"

"And wound up with a drug in my drink, flat on my back mid-way through the evening." She snorted. "Not a chance in hell." She grabbed her purse. "I'd sooner sleep with his Nibs before going to a party with _that_ annoying prick."

They laughed. "You'd probably have more fun, too."

"Oh my god did you see his PACKAGE?!" Elizabeth fanned herself with her hand.

"It's not like you could miss it!" Christine chortled.

Sarah hid her face in mild humiliation. "Watch out, there's probably some fine print somewhere, objects in pants are larger than they appear."

Her friends dissolved into a fit of giggles and they headed out to go get hammered and probably laid.

The party wasn't bad, the music blared through the speakers, and the beer was flowing in copious amounts. Sarah accepted a plastic cup, saluting the person who handed it to her and headed away from her friends to dance and otherwise enjoy herself.

Unfortunately, she'd just joined the writhing bodies on the dance floor when Marc found her, grinding his pelvis against her backside, and holding her hips, poorly pantomiming the movements of sex. She was attempting to pull away, but every time she made an attempt, he pulled her hips more firmly against his, grinding his erection against her backside. She shuddered.

"Hey, babe...wanna go upstairs and find some place quiet...?"

She pretended to consider for a moment. "Hm, let's see, ah, no." She was about to drive an elbow into whatever she could reach and follow that up with a well placed knee to his groin, when a cheer went up around the building.

"Professor J!"

Oh, god help her, she just couldn't win.

Fortunately, Marc's grip loosened on her and she broke free, weaving her way through people as she approached the back door, attempting to make a stealthy escape. The last thing she needed was to see the Goblin King in a casual setting.

"Ah, Miss Williams...whatever are you doing here...and dressed so delightfully..." She barely had a moment to register the voice as belonging to the man before two fingers snaked into the back of her strapless corset top and she was pulled back against that hard, male body. She went rigid, her breath squeaking out of her. His chuckle swept across her ear and she barely contained her shudder.

She turned, finding the mis-matched eyes of the Goblin King looking down at her with delighted amusement. She strapped a little extra steel to her spine and looked him square in the face. "What everyone else is doing, getting drunk and having fun." She snapped, pulling away from him.

"You wouldn't grudge me a dance, would you?" He taunted, hauling her back with the top of her corset. He noticed that the thing did push every asset she had into a more pronounced position. "What's a dance between old friends?"

She swatted his hand away, feeling the deeply seeded flight response in full effect. "I'm not old, and I'd hardly call us _friends_," she bit out, finally managing to put space between herself and the Goblin Sovereign. Not surprisingly, everyone else had failed to notice they exist. The dirty cheat was probably casting some sort of enchantment or whatnot, so they wouldn't notice when he kidnapped her.

"You wound me..." He stepped towards her, hooking a finger beneath her chin, lifting her defiant eyes to his face. "And after all I did for you?"

She scoffed. "Not more of this alleged generosity again?!" She brushed his hand away.

"You did ask me to take him."

"I didn't ask for the cleaners, or the Bog of Eternal Stench, or the drugged peach, or the humungous, or the goblin army..." She glared at him furiously. "I certainly didn't ask for you to stick me in a room with stairs leading in directions it should be impossible to walk up, while my baby brother tried to climb out a window!"

There was no remorse in his gaze, just that mild amusement. "You asked to run the Labyrinth. I'm afraid the rest comes as a bonus." He waved his hand flippantly, as though it were of little importance.

She sputtered, her fury gripping her. "You arrogant-"

"I prefer 'self-assured'-"

"Egomaniacal-"

"I always liked 'narcissistic'-"

"Thick-headed-"

"How about 'determined'-"

"Megalomaniac!"

He pondered this for a moment, then shrugged. "I can't argue that."

She sputtered again. "You didn't argue with _any _of it! You just put different _labels_ on yourself!"

"You seem to have missed several, yourself. Charismatic, attractive, spell-binding, haunting, enchanting? Any of these ring a bell?" He ticked them off on his fingers, deeply amused by her growing fury.

"I already mentioned egomaniacal, no need for you to further prove my point!" She snapped, spinning away from him.

"Does that mean no dance?" He quipped, smirking at her retreating back.

Her response was creative, but anatomically impossible.

He scrubbed the grin off his face, as the din he'd softened renewed with a vengeance. She was going to make him work. Such a pity. He watched her head up the stairs and frowned when she stumbled a bit on the stairs. Something wasn't quite right about that...Not quite right at all.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Her world was dancing.

The sound pulsed against her ears, dreadfully loud, and she was starting to feel weak. Shit. It was like that drugged peach all over again. Something was wrong, dreadfully wrong, and she didn't know what. She felt confused, disoriented. Her mind felt empty.

She pushed open a door, finding a single quiet room. She looked around, bleary-eyed, trying to understand where she was, how she'd gotten there. Her stomach was twisting, turning. She felt sick, so horribly sick. She was going to vomit...

She was going to...

She...

The world went black around her, and she moaned, falling on the soft bed.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

She'd disappeared for quite some time. Jareth finally decided it was time to go find her. As he traveled up the stairs, he located a spilled cup, with two white tablets laying against the brim. He reached down, dabbed it with his finger, tasting the substance. His eyes widened and he frowned deeply. How had flunitrazepam gotten into her drink? He knew the drug well, from his trips to the Above. It had been used regularly as a sleeping pill ages ago. Mixing such a thing with alcohol was never good, and if she didn't know it was in her drink...

He swore viciously, standing and moving rapidly through the house. He threw open door, not much caring about the startled shrieks or invitations he received. He reached the last door and noticed it was slightly cracked and there was a wealth of laughter from inside it.

"Bitch..." Came the drunken slur. "You...think you can...tease me and not...get as good as you gave..."

Jareth pushed open the door and found that the word fury was a poor indicator of the sensation that poured through his veins. The young man had stripped her down to her lace intimates, and was pulling himself from his pants. He moved into the room as the man began tugging at her panties. Due to intoxication, the young man's erection was floundering at best. "I wouldn't do that, if I were you..." He said coldly.

The man whirled, suddenly noticing him standing there. "Pr-professor..." He slurred. "You want a helping of this ass, too?"

Jareth watched as the young man slapped her ass and Sarah, who was obviously not in control of any of her faculties flinched, a faint moan leaving her softly parted lips. He took two steps towards the young man, who he identified as Marc by riffling through his drunken brain, and dug two fingers into a particularly sensitive nerve in the young man's shoulder. "You...got drunk...and passed out in the Kitchen." He ordered softly. "You didn't see Sarah. Ever." He dug the fingers in, gratified when the young man whimpered in pain. "You're going to go to the kitchen and drink until you can't remember that the sky is blue." He said in a murderous, crooning voice.

The smell of urine rose to his nose and he released Marc, who stumbled out of the room, a terrified expression on his face. Jareth waved a hand, sending the door closed, save a crack, to filter the stench from the room. He looked towards the girl on the bed, his eyes hungrily feasting upon her. She was lovely, but this was not how he wanted her. Chilled, unwilling, her breathing shallow and weak.

No.

But that didn't mean he couldn't get some...insurance on her. He pulled a crystal from the air, setting it to memorize everything, resting it upon the currents of air. Every curve, every scrap of lace. Gently, he pulled the corset back around her torso, hooking each fastener with loving care. He replaced her panties where they belonged, and eased her pants back up her lovely legs, pressing a kiss upon her bare stomach before going to retrieve her shoes.

He pondered them with a wry smirk. What delightful little toys, he thought, slipping them onto her feet easily, snapping the small strap which he supposed was the illusion of support for her diminutive ankles. With the wave of his hand, he vanished the crystal, and lifted the girl into his arms. A mental directive, and they began to dissolve into the air, leaving only the faintest trail of smoke and glitter in their wake.

He did not, however, notice that only moments after they vanished, two pairs of eyes which were watching from the door turned towards each other and stared in shock. "Did he just-?" Christine whispered.

"Disappear? Yeah, he did." Elizabeth affirmed.

"He took Sarah with him!" It came out with the faintest squeal.

Elizabeth sighed dreamily. "That's so romantic..."

They stood, turning towards their boyfriends, who were currently off searching for their drunk friend, Mark and pouted faintly in discontent. "Wish I knew where he took her..."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Sarah moaned in pain as she woke, finding the blinding light painful to her eyes. "Oh Jesus, Mother Mary and Joseph..." She shielded her face, wondering why the hell she'd neglected to draw her blinds shut the night before.

"Funny, the names you call first thing of a morning..."

The seductive purr of the voice beside her set her teeth on edge and caused her to fall rather gracelessly out of the bed she was on. "Where am I?!" She cried, as lights spun around her, confusing her further. "Chrissy! Beth?!" She called, but there was no answer.

"Relax, precious..." Two strong arms lifted her and she found herself nestled among the warm blankets once again.

"No..." She moaned, shaking her head from side to side. "No..."

Leather clad fingers gently petted her hair. "Shhhh." He crooned softly. "Just close your eyes, Sarah. You are suffering from withdrawal." That soft, gentle voice purred against her ear. "You were drugged, and your body is ridding itself of the toxins."

"You...drugged me...again?" She gasped out, shaking her head. That made no sense.

"Darling, a spell does not cause these same symptoms. Never pain for you, precious. Perhaps amnesia, but never pain..." That gloved hand continued to gently caress her hair and she felt tears fill her eyes.

"Hurts..." She whimpered, clawing at her head. She those faerie lights still zipped around her head and she was getting scared. "Help..." She whispered, shaking her head. "Make it stop..." She felt a spasm work through her body and she arched, a cry leaving her lips.

A blessedly cool cloth rested against her head and she hissed faintly in surprise. "I'll do all I can, darling." That voice and those hands stroked her, soothing her. She knew it was foolish to let this person soothe her. He was horrible, evil, hateful, hurtful. Tears welled in her eyes and she turned her face away.

"Tell the faeries to stop flying around my head..." She whispered, feeling so tired. She wanted so badly to sleep, but her body felt as though it were buzzing, as though it were charged. She shook in pain and fear.

"Darling, they're in your mind, and that, I'm afraid, is a mystery to me..."

Her lower lip trembled and she curled in on herself. "Sleep...want to sleep...want to..." She moaned, barely making sense. She felt a hand gently wrap around hers and she clung to it desperately.

"I know, precious, I know..." That crooning voice said gently. Leather clad fingers caressed her cheek and her eyelids felt heavy. "Just rest, Sarah...I will take care of you."

At the promise, her consciousness slipped through her fingers and she fell once again into the blessed, painless blackness of sleep.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

When she woke again, she was laying on her bed, her head and muscles aching, but otherwise fine. She looked around, wide-eyed, wondering how she got there. Her room was empty, her door cracked ever so slightly. She jumped from her bed, burst from her room, finding her roommate sitting on the couch, having dropped her cup of coffee.

"Sarah!" Christine rushed towards her, checking her over. "Girl, where have you been?!"

"What?" She asked weakly, letting her friend support her.

"We've been worried sick! You disappeared from the party, no one knew where you were!" Christine held her arms, searching her face. "Are you okay?!"

Sarah considered that. "What...day is it?" She asked weakly.

"Tuesday..." Christine frowned deeply. "Sarah...You mean you...don't remember?"

Sarah's mind was too busy reeling. "But...the party was Friday." Sarah lifted her face, seeing concern on her friends. "Christine, are you saying I've been missing for _three days_?"

The girl shifted awkwardly. "I got pretty trashed that night, Sarah. I don't really...remember much, myself. Raoul and Will got Beth and I home Saturday morning, but you weren't here..." Her brow furrowed in concentration. "I think...Professor Tight-pants took you home." She blinked, stunned. "Wait, why don't you remember the past few days?! Beth and I binged, and we still..."

Sarah felt a shudder work through her small frame. "Could you wait five minutes?" She asked weakly. "I need...to get a morning after pill..." Her stomach churned at the thought. She disappeared into her room, ignoring her friends protests. She looked into her mirror, noting that somehow, she'd managed to get into her pajama. She shuddered, changing into some comfortable jeans her favorite Bowie on Tour t-shirt, and a baggy hooded sweatshirt. She pulled the hood up and snatched up her purse. She headed into the living room and couldn't meet Christine's concerned gaze.

Oh god, she'd known better. Her father had pulled her aside and warned her of all the things that can happen to a young woman when away from the safety of her home and parents. She couldn't tell them about this, and desperately hoped no one had reported her missing. She'd taken an open glass from a stranger, but that's the last thing she really remembered clearly. Everything else was a blur of dancing lights and bodies.

"Why do you think his Nibs took me home?" Sarah asked weakly. She tugged at the hem of her sweatshirt, desperately seeking some kind of calm oasis.

"Well...he showed up, and started to get cozy with you. I saw you give Marc the cold shoulder, but I thought..." She covered her mouth. "Oh god, did have sex with him?!" Those words came out in a feverish whisper, which still drew scandalized looks from a few people around him.

"I don't..." Sarah squeezed her eyes shut. "I don't remember. I...don't remember anything." She felt tears pierce her eyes. "I might have been drugged, or something..."

"But that wouldn't wipe three days from existence!" Christine insisted. "You must remember something!"

There was something, but it wasn't a threatening memory. She wouldn't even call it a memory. She remembered feeling safe, protected. Warm. She wasn't about to say that, she'd sound crazy. "I've got nothing, Chrissy. Nothing. It's blank. Three days gone. Just like that."

Christine paled, putting an arm around her as they walked to the nurses office. It being Tuesday, there was not a particularly long line, since most of the people who were afflicted with weekend partying had arrived Sunday and Monday mornings. Sarah walked up to the counter and made her request quietly. She was discretely slipped a pill by the disapproving woman behind the counter. Sarah pretended she didn't notice.

She walked to the nearest water fountain, popped the pill and filled her mouth with water, letting it slide down her throat. She just hoped it wasn't too late. She shuddered in fear. The last thing she needed or wanted right now was a child. And while she was quite certain her Classic Lit. teacher would gladly take the little tyke off her hands, she didn't want to have to deal with the discussion with Karen involving her lack of responsibility.

She shuddered, feeling Christine gently rubbing her shoulder as they walked. "Do you have class today?"

"Yeah. So do you. Today's Literature, remember?"

"Thought that was on Monday..."

"No, his Nibs doesn't take classes on Monday's. Something about a day of rest. Thought that's what Sunday was for."

Sarah scoffed. "The man's evil, he's a walking mockery of the seven heavenly virtues." She muttered. Christine mumbled a soft agreement.

"Brought to Earth to visibly taunt males and females alike." The other girl shuddered slightly. "Those pants, Sarah, those _pants_."

"I know, I know. It's always about the pants." She felt uncomfortable talking about the man in such a way. Especially since it was his want to pop up unannounced at the most inopportune moments. "I swear, you beat a man at his own game and suddenly he's trying to destroy your life..." She muttered, frowning deeply.

"Sarah, what are you talking about."

"It's...a long story, Chrissy," she finished lamely. "I'll tell you another time, promise."

Her friend faintly grumbled her consent.

They walked into the classroom, and whispers went up. Obviously, her absence had been noticed by more than her friend. She looked around, finding Marc's eyes resting no her with that same unsettling hunger.

"Miss Williams, Miss Bouche, you're a half-hour late."

Sarah swallowed hard at the positively gleeful tone of his voice. She turned slowly, finding Jareth's eyes upon her. "Nurses office," she offered as an explanation.

"Surely you didn't need your friend to walk you to and from the nurses office," She wanted nothing more than to knock that mocking smile from his face.

Christine straightened. "It's called moral support." Her tone was clipped, angry, but only served to amuse the arrogant bastard further.

"Be that as it may..." He rested his hands on his desk, leaning towards them with a predatory grin. Sighs of ecstasy went up around the class. "I've warned you once, Miss Williams, about disrupting my class..." He saw the flicker of fear in her eyes and smirked. "I must request you remain after class is dismissed..."

They moved reluctantly towards their seats, Sarah trembling in fear and exhaustion. She felt like she needed to go back to her room and sleep for a week, but instead, she was going to have to stay for a little private chat with her, she gulped, instructor. Christine gave her a parting pat on the shoulder, and they sank into their respective chairs.

Class drug on, Sarah finding herself under the unnervingly intense gaze of one Goblin King more often than made her comfortable. Especially since he was wearing this particularly pleased smirk. Rather like a cat that had cornered a particularly tasty bird. And she had the feeling _she_ was that bird.

Finally, a mind numbing two hours later, he stood, moving toward the door and held it open, watching the students filing out. Sarah attempted to sneak out with Christine and Elizabeth, but apparently the Sovereign was prepared for such a trick and she felt his hand around her elbow before she managed to duck out the door. Marc was the last one to leave, and he slapped her ass rather hard on the way out. Sarah didn't think. Her reaction was immediate and swift. She grabbed the offending hand, twisted it at the wrist and pinned him against the wall, breathing heavily in fury.

Jareth stood back, watching in amusement.

"If you ever touch me like that again," she said in a cold, impersonal tone. "I will rip your hand off and feed it to you." She had the intense pleasure of watching him pale several shades, and when she released him, he ran from the room. She cheered mentally for her victory, but the sound of applause brought her out of her mental happy dance. She turned slowly, dread creeping into her brain.

He leaned against the blackboard, wearing an expression of intense amusement. "Quite impressive, precious, how you gutted him without actually causing permanent damage."

She watched him wave his hand and the door shut beside her. She jumped, looking up at him, eyes wide in fear.

He scoffed. "Don't look at me as if I'm some monster." He saw her about to object and arched an eyebrow. "In reality you should be kneeling in thanks." He waved his hand, calling in a crystal, gave it a shake and pictures scattered across the floor. "Heaven knows what would happen if these lovely things fell into the wrong hands."

She didn't like his leading tone. She knelt, about to look at the picture, but they vanished and when she looked up, they were in Jareth's grip. She sat the amusement in his eyes and he hid his wolfish smile behind the Polaroids, but before she could say a word, he turned them towards himself. "Truly, Sarah, I realize in the Underground getting so drunk you pass out is perfectly acceptable at your age, but things work a little different in the Above..." He turned one and she saw herself dancing, glass of beer raised above her head as she swayed in time with the music.

Ah, crap.

He studied that one for a long moment. "Imagine what would happen if this wound up on the Dean of Students desk! Why you might even get expelled from the school..." He saw the fear and dread on her face and smirked.

"You would really completely destroy my life here?!" She screeched in disbelief. She took several deep, calming breaths. She wouldn't cry in front of him, dammit.

"Or heaven forbid this one should wind up in your step-mother's possession." He turned another, and she found herself staring at her mostly naked form, wearing only that racy strapless bra, underwear tugged down to her knees.

She closed her eyes, turning her face away from him. "What the hell do you want from me, Goblin King?!" She whispered fiercely.

His eyes sharpened, noting that she'd finally pinpointed the game and was going to play. Good. He smirked, moving towards her. "Well, Sarah, since I find myself on a vacation in the Above, without the usual comforts of home-" he smirked when she choked on the word 'comforts'. "I'm in need of a," his voice trailed off a bit as he pinned her with his gaze. "Personal slave."

She choked. "Oh, no. Hell no! I'm not going to sign myself over to you for any length of time! Not my body, not my soul, not even my time outside of this-"

He waved the photos in front of her face. The two he'd shown her weren't the only incriminating ones. She swore viciously. There were at least eighteen little scraps of paper of her at that party. Time she couldn't remember. She bit her lip to keep the sob in her throat from escaping. "Wh-what will this entail?" She hated herself for the way her voice broke.

"Simple, you clean my apartment, wash my laundry, prepare my meals." He saw her begin to relax and saw a smirk turn up her own lips.

"You, the Goblin King, want me to cook for you?" Suddenly, this deal didn't seem so bad.

"The requirements are: It must be edible, and non-poisonous." He said, his tone amused.

She straightened, her eyes looking up at him, seeing the challenge. "How long?"

"For the duration of my stay, naturally. Vacations will be worked around." He glanced at the calendar. "Roughly the next two semesters."

She arched an eyebrow, a wicked thought in her head. If he could survive her cooking for two semesters, she would be highly impressed. Besides, maybe she could work this to her advantage. He obviously had been there when she'd been drugged.

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_AN: Sarah goes from be a splendid cook in one story to being the worst one in the world. She has to get revenge on Jareth some way. Anywho, I'll probably be continuing this, and posting it on under my other name, and on as well as . Yes, that means this will likely have some of that adult-type touching we all love. I know I'm horrible for having Sarah drugged, but everyone will get what's coming to them. Trust me. Vengeance _will _be Sarah's._


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: So, just in case a few of my more 'manga inclined' readers open this thinking it's related to the series Akuma De Sorou (The Devil does Exist, a manga licensed in the US by CMX), it's not. I simply borrowed the title. I know, I know, bad me._

_Disclaimer: None of the Labyrinth issues are the property of the Jim Henson Co. Any other resemblances to other characters/series are simply the result of me being really bad at thinking of names..._

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The Devil Does Exist

By: DemonSaya

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Sarah stepped into the apartment with a great deal of trepidation. The only saving grace was that he was not there, himself. He'd simply passed her the key, and told her the address. She swore viciously when the smell hit her nose. What, did the man not know how to wash a load of laundry, do a load of dishes?! She stepped inside, noting there were lots of deodorizing sprays and empty spray cans laying everywhere. She put her hand to her face.

It was worse than her brother's room on laundry day.

She kicked the door closed, immediately crossing towards the windows, throwing them wide open, letting the crisp breeze carry some of the stench from the room. She looked around the room and took several soothing breaths. She was going to test the definition of 'edible' and 'poisonous' tonight. She snarled softly, moving towards the cabinets. Throwing them open, she was unsurprised to find not one cleaning material, not one garbage bag. The closest she found was a scented bubble bath in the bathroom, and the basic needs for a male.

She ground her teeth together as she proceeded to slam her way through the apartment, hesitating when she found the bedroom. Of all the rooms in the apartment, this one was immaculate. She frowned, leaning against the door. It was odd. She'd always imagined that his taste in linens would be darker. These, however, were pale gold and white. They looked like they were either silk or satin. She shook the idea of taking the sheets for a test drive from her head, moving towards the window, throwing the curtains open, tugging up the blinds and opening that window as well.

She moved through the house, opening the windows to let it air, leaving her sweatshirt on against the biting chill of the wind. She began sorting clothing into piles for the wash, and piled the dirty dishes neatly next to the sink. She winced at the sight of the trash that littered everything, and noticed every can in the apartment was completely full. "This isn't even sanitary..." She muttered with a shudder.

She stormed over towards her backpack, pulling out a notebook. She scribbled a note throwing, setting it under a vase that had strange, bright blue flowers blooming in it, and headed for the door.

"Done so soon, precious?"

She turned towards Jareth, her eyes narrowing in anger. "There's a note on the counter. I'll be back in an hour." She glared at him testily, then stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door with a great deal of violence.

She seethed as she left the building, imagining his amused laughter from his apartment. A glance up found him looking down at her from the window. She flipped him the bird, moving down the street. Not much later, she found herself standing inside a small grocery. She grabbed a cart, putting in a bottle of bleach, laundry soap, dish soap, and several sponges. She also picked up a broom and mop.

She was tempted to buy some ipecac to slip into his dinner. She saw the confused look on the face of the girl at the register as she rang up her some fifty dollars in cleaning supplies and food. Then, bags in hand, she walked back to his apartment.

She found him lounging on his couch, reading a book when she returned. He looked up, saw the bags and moved towards her. "Me not having the ability to hit you doesn't mean I can't put you in a world of hurt, Goblin King," she bit out, as she strode across the room. "And as for where I was, I was buying food for your empty fridge, and cleaning materials for you pig-sty of an apartment."

She set the bags down, beginning to put the groceries away. Fortunately, the fridge seemed to be in workable condition. She noticed with a grunt of frustration and made a mental note to pick up dishwasher detergent. She set the cleaning materials beneath the sink and huffed. "I mean, really. How could you stand to live in here."

"Considering the company I usually keep, this is a surprise? Goblins are not the most tidy of creatures."

She slammed the cupboards, glaring at him. "You're a pampered, spoiled, rich boy. You probably think that the food that you're served in your castle magically appears there." She slammed her hands on the counter, pleased that he had the decency to jump. "Where's your laundry closet," she bit out, glaring at him.

He gestured vaguely down the hall and Sarah snarled viciously. She should plant her red Christmas socks her grandma sent her in with his whites. It would turn everything the most garish Pepto Bismol pink ever seen on planet Earth. She carried the laundry soap down the hall, slamming open the sliding doors. She dumped a scoop full into the basket, tossed in several of his pale white shirts, threw it to delicate and started the first load.

He had discarded the book when she returned. "You seem agitated."

She stopped, turning towards him fully. "Gee, ya think? You want a housekeeper? You should at least have cleaning supplies on hand so that those who get paid a great deal less than you a year don't have to dip into their food money to furnish your bloody apartment with cleaning implements!" She paused, taking a deep, steadying breath. "Look, this is going to take days even if I _don't_ go to school, and with classes and my own job, this could take much, much longer than a few days." She swore when she remembered work. "Fuck!" She swore, slamming her hands on the counter. "I was supposed to work this past weekend...Dammit!"

Jareth walked towards the wall, pulling down the phone and setting it in front of her. She blinked when he set the receiver in her hand. "I would advise you call them." He said, his voice more gentle than she could ever remember it. He turned his back to her before she could meet his gaze and he was moving back to the couch, lounging on it in a boneless manner. He kept his back to her.

Sarah swallowed hard, dialing the familiar number. "Hello, this is Sarah Williams." She winced, pulling the phone away from her ear when her manager started going off on her. She maintained her composure, taking deep, steadying breaths. "Yes, sir. I understand, sir. Yes, I'll come by around two tomorrow." She chewed her lip. "I'm very sorry. Yes, sir." She closed her eyes, hanging up the phone slowly. Shit, shit, _shit._ She'd lost her job.

Jareth watched her closely from the couch. "Problem?"

"I was fired." She said quietly, moving around the counter, beginning to run hot water into the sink.

"Sarah-"

"Keep your pity, Goblin King. I can get another job easily enough." She set the dishes into the water and loaded a sponge with dish soap, too ingrained in what she was doing to notice his approach until his silvery-blond hair poofed into her line of sight. She lifted her face hesitantly, finding him looking curiously at what she was doing. His eyes were aimed down at the soapy water. She frowned faintly, grabbing a dish and the sponge, beginning to scrub at it.

It occurred to her that the Goblin King had likely never seen cleaning actually being done. Or cooking, or any of the other day to day things which people took care of for him. She supposed it was natural that he was curious about something he'd never seen before. She finished scrubbing the dish, pulling it from the water and rinsed it, setting it on the drying rack. She didn't reproach him for watching, didn't question it. In reality, it was a lot like dealing with her little brother. Except, if her brother ever tried to squirm her into a situation like this, she'd have him spend the next many years making it up to her with his skin.

She was about to return her hands to the scalding water, when his fine-boned hand encircled her wrist, stilling her movements. She bit back a gasp. She looked up and found his eyes concentrated on her pink flesh.

"Your hands are flushed," he noticed, looking towards her startled gaze.

She shrugged it off, pulling her hand away. "The water has to be hot to clean the dishes." She explained, before returning her hand to the water, starting on the next dish. That night went smoothly, as did the next, and the next. She'd come a hair shy of giving him food poisoning the fourth night, and to her surprise, he let her leave early.

She was positively giddy. Christine had been talking about a party that was going on that evening, and she wanted to go, if for no other reason, to enjoy just one stinking party. Even if she wasn't going to drink. After last time, she'd learned her lesson. There was no way in hell she was taking a drink that she didn't pour herself. You'd think she'd have learned her lesson about consumable items from questionable sources after the poisoned peach. But no, she had to suck down a laced beer last week.

Resulting in three magically missing days.

She changed for the party, pulling on candy-striped leggings, her black, soft-soled boots, and a dark red sweater dress. Something she could move in easily, something she could run in should she need to. She suddenly wished her father had actually done as he threatened and invested in a chastity belt. An amused grin turned up the corner of her lips as she wondered if the Goblin King would provide a magical equivalent.

She met Christine and Elizabeth, who were grilling her on where she'd been the past week. She sighed and finally spilled. "His Nibs has incriminating photos of me from last week. I've basically become hired help during my non-school hours. He sits at the bar, grading papers while I do his dishes and make his dinner."

They stopped and stared at her. "Wait, he _eats_ what you cook him?"

"Every piece. I think he got a taste of food poisoning tonight, so he let me off early. For someone so meticulous about his appearance, he's remiss about the state of his bachelor pad." She muttered, grabbing her leather jacket, heading towards the door, stopping when her friends grabbed her sleeves, staring at her, wide-eyed.

"He..._eats it all_?!" They practically shrieked. Christine continued. "Sarah, you're like a sister, to me, you know that, but...he _eats _your cooking?"

"Yes." She frowned. What were they getting at. She shrugged. "It's not a big deal."

The two girls looked at each other, then at her, stunned. They simply had to chalk it up to Sarah being unexpectedly naïve. They shrugged and unanimously decided to let her figure it out for herself.

Once at the party, several guys attempted to bring Sarah drinks, but she waved them off, pointing to her cup of water. She heard everyone whispering about her and Marc stormed towards her, thrusting a beer in her face. "Drink this." He muttered through gritted teeth.

Sarah looked at the plastic cup dubiously, then looked up at him. "You think I'm stupid? I was just drugged last week, and you think I'm going to get intoxicated this weekend? Wrong, Marc, wrong. I came here to dance and have fun, not to have three more days wiped from my existence." She stood, smiling coldly. She'd just opened her mouth to tell him off further, when her pager, tucked into her leather jacket began vibrating insistently. She frowned deeply, pulling it out, and peering at the number. A deep groan left her and she pushed him out of her way, ignoring the dark look he was giving her.

She found the phone in the kitchen, leaning against the wall, twisting the cord around her finger. She dialed the number, listening to it ring. The pager had been a 'gift' from none other than his Nibs, so that he could call her when he needed her. He was the only one with the number. It rang twice and she heard it click up as the phone was answered and then she heard what distinctly sounded like two attempts to speak before there was the sound of retching.

Whoops. "Uh, Professor King?" She asked quietly.

"Are you trying to kill me?!" He wheezed into the phone.

She sighed, shaking her head. "Dinner not sitting well, then?"

She was interrupted by more retching sounds. She held the phone away from her ear, gagging. A heavy sigh escaped her and she tossed about her two options. She could turn off her pager, ignore the Goblin King, who likely could be dead by morning, or she could be responsible and go over to his place and take care of him until he was well enough that she could leave.

She didn't particularly care for her options, but she wasn't drunk, and it wasn't that far a walk. Besides, better to get away from Marc before he decided to get drunk and more stupid. She slipped upstairs, where she found Elizabeth and Christine dancing with each other, much to the delight of their boyfriends and every other guy nearby. She tapped Christine's shoulder, leaning towards her. "Looks like I actually did give his Nibs food poisoning. I'm going to go fish his head out of the toilet." She grinned at their looks of shocked disbelief and headed down the stairs and out the front door. Unfortunately, Marc was there waiting.

"Sarah, are you my girl or not?!"

"Not." She said calmly, still walking.

"Sarah! This is your last chance, babe!"

She paused, turning towards him, dumbstruck. "Are you that self-centered that you think I'll be broken up about you not bugging me anymore? Let me tell you what, I've been stalked by better looking people than you, and you can bet he had no better luck than you." She glared at him dead in the eye. "There was never anything between us, and there never will be." She rolled her eyes. "Get it through your head." She stalked down the street, relieved that she'd worn the flat boots instead of her stilettos.

She was aware that Marc was following her, and ignored it, mostly. She reached Jareth's apartment building and waved at the guard as she entered. He moved towards her. "This creep is following me." She gestured behind her, towards Marc. The guard nodded and moved towards him as she headed towards the elevator. It let her off at Jareth's apartment and she opened the door with her spare key. She found the room very dark, and heard dramatic moans from the bathroom.

She rolled her eyes, heading back. She found the light on in the bathroom and leaned against the doorway. "You're a mess, highness."

He shuddered. "Two requests, precious. Edible, and non-poisonous. That was all. And yet here I lay. What did you slip into my meal?"

She rolled him over, testing his forehead. A glance into the toilet made her gag and she flushed it away. "You should know that I don't even eat what I cook." She said, trying to maintain her calm as she pulled his arm over her shoulder, walking him back to his bedroom. "Unless it comes out of a can."

"A can?"

"That would mean I didn't cook it. I simply opened the can and dumped the contents in pot at medium heat." She saw the dark look on his face and grinned. "Hey, I'm impressed you managed to stand a week of my cooking without getting food poisoning."

He felt the bed behind him and thought she'd simply let him flop down upon it, but she sat, carefully arranging him on the silk sheets. "I supposed you would have to be bad at _something_." He muttered in that arrogant manner.

She glared at him. "I suppose the same can be said about you. You can't clean your own house." She pointed out. "Didn't even know how to wash dishes before I showed you." She sniffed, standing. "I'll get you a basin, and a cold cloth." She stood, moving away from him. His hand caught her wrist and she saw a confused look on his sculpted face.

"Why?"

She arched an eyebrow. "Because, if you puke all over the sheets, I sure as hell am not paying for your dry cleaning bill."

He stared at her, stunned, then he began to convulse in quiet coughing sounds.

Sarah grew concerned and leaned over him. To her shock, he was laughing. Not his maniacal laugh, but rather a soft, exasperated one. She grinned in return, heading towards the bathroom. She emptied out the small waste basket and wet a washrag in the sink. When she returned to the bedroom, he had a hand over his eyes, looking unbelievably weary. She moved hesitantly forward, setting the trashcan on the floor and set the cool cloth against his warm skin. Gently, she mopped his face. It came as a faint surprise that the dark line that followed his eye up his brow didn't wash away. "Say...is that tattooed or something?" She mumbled.

He arched an eyebrow. "What?" When her bare finger touched the skin on his face he nearly jumped at the sensation. He averted his eyes. "No, that is simply part of what I am." He said calmly. He saw the perplexed expression on her face. "Why?"

"When you're in the classroom, I don't see them. I always thought they were painted or make up..." She shook herself to stop staring at his unusual facial markings and began mopping his face again.

He smiled faintly. "I wondered if you would notice. In the classroom, I use a glamour. It's a simple illusion which makes me appear human enough." He moaned, pressing a hand over his mouth as his stomach rolled again. "Bloody hell..." He groaned, closing his eyes. "Are you _sure_ you didn't slip anything into that? What was it you called it?"

"Meatloaf. Since it's the first time I made it, your guess is as good as mine." She saw the stunned and appalled look on his face and giggled in amusement. "I can promise that I didn't slip in anything not food related." She offered. That didn't seem to soothe him.

He closed his eyes, taking several deep breaths, trying to calm his mind. "Do not take offense, my dear, but I should inform you that even my goblin cook never managed to give me food poisoning. Poisoned food, perhaps, but it's never accidental in the Underground."

She giggled. "Is that why you're on vacation?"

"Among other reasons..." He opened his eyes to watch her giggle and his eyes softened. He could eat, sleep and breath her laughter forever. It was such a pure sound. Not the false twittering he was forced to endure in the Underground. "I did not expect to see you here." He admitted, reaching up a hand, not noticing it was bare until he saw it next to her face. Quickly, he let it drop, looking away from her surprised eyes.

She watched the faint yearning on his face quickly disappear, hidden behind a familiar mask of indifference. She blinked, leaning towards him. "Goblin King?"

He sighed in impatience. "Must you continue to call me that?" He asked, turning to look at her, finding her far closer than he expected.

Sarah watched his pupils dilate, until all that was left was a single ring of blue and a ring of gold. She inclined her head. "Well, if you don't want to be called that, what should I call you? Highness? Your Majesty? Your Royal Arrogance? Lord Tight-pants?" She blinked when his gaze became guarded. She was actually surprised when he looked away from her. She realized that she'd been being rather rude and harsh, which while in true character when interacting with the Goblin King, she didn't often interact with her friends in such a manner. She lowered her face. "I'm sorry. Maybe I'll just call you Professor King." She gave a weak smile when he turned to look at her.

"Don't force yourself." He sounded bitter.

She swallowed hard. Yes, he was definitely angry. "Look-"

"I'm going to sleep for awhile." He said quietly. He rolled onto his side, away from her, and Sarah lowered her gaze, holding the rag in her limp hands.

It was a dismissal if ever she'd seen one. She stood slowly, her hand lifting the rag. She wanted to rage at him. She'd been out having a good time, and left to come be a responsible person, and here he was acting like a spoiled brat. They'd been laughing, having what she thought was a fine time, and then his mood had gotten distant and petulant. She took a steadying breath. "I...I'll leave this on your bedside table in case you need it. There's a trashcan on the floor, in case you need to puke."

Jareth turned slightly, noting the faintest waver in her voice. "You needn't concern yourself with details, Miss Williams." He said coolly.

Ah, there was that rage. She wrapped the hot anger around herself, using it to brace herself. "Fine, big bad _Goblin King_." She threw special emphasis on that last word, feeling a deep, sadistic pleasure when he flinched. "If you'll give me my pictures, I'll stay the hell out of your way!"

He turned fully, finding her standing there, clenching the rag so tightly the excess water was dripping down her fingers. Those lovely green eyes were filled with fire. He was botching everything again. "Don't leave..." He said, reaching towards that tightly fisted hand. He saw her draw back and let his hand fall short of hers. "Blast it all! Do as you wish, then!"

Her anger fled her when he suddenly lunged for the trash can and was thoroughly sick. She paled when she noticed blood in the vomit. "Shit, shit, _shit_!" She swore, easing him back to the bed, ignoring his weak struggling. It was probably the only time she'd be stronger than him. "I'm going to get you something to eat-"

"No more food, Sarah..." He moaned, sounding deliriously. "_Please..._" The plea would have made her smirk if she didn't know he was insulting her.

"I wasn't going to cook it!" She snapped. She stormed into the other room, throwing open his cupboards, finding what she sought. A six-pack of ginger ale, and saltine crackers. She headed back to his room, finding him still laying where she'd set him. She opened the crackers, handing him one. "It's dry, but they're good for nausea. I can usually keep them down when I'm sick..." While he weakly nibbled the cracker, she cracked the soda. The sound startled the Sovereign and he choked slightly on the cracker before he managed to swallow it.

Jareth nearly came unglued when Sarah slipped into the bed beside him, her shoulder around his shoulder as she hauled him into a partially seated position. He closed his eyes taking a steady breath.

"Sip this slowly," she said, pushing a cool aluminum can into his hand.

He sipped and found it delightfully bubbly and sagged boneless against the girl at his side. He closed his eyes, leaning his head back, taking deep breaths. "I feel as weak as a child." He murmured.

She arched an eyebrow at the surprise in his voice. "You act a surprising amount like one when you're ill as well." His eyes met hers, lit with mild amusement.

"Precious, after last weekend, I wouldn't talk." He murmured, closing his eyes and resting his head on her shoulder.

She stiffened, looking towards him. "So you _were_ there!" She snapped, about to jerk away when his hand wrapped gently around her wrist. "You insufferable prick! What happened!"

He winced at the considerable volume of her voice. "Someone slipped you a mickey." He muttered. "I found you before any damage was done. Your virtue is still intact." He opened his eyes, seeing confusion in hers. "I brought you here, and made sure you did not choke on your own bile. You woke delirious Saturday morning, in considerable pain." He sighed, closing his eyes. "I put a sleep spell on you, unfortunately, mixed with the natural effects of the drug, it rendered you unconscious far longer than I anticipated. Monday evening, you showed a few signs of lucidity."

She frowned deeply. "Then why the pictures? Why are you doing this?" She saw him withdraw from her and knew he wouldn't answer before he spoke.

"I returned you to your domicile early that morning. Unfortunately, a side effect of that spell is amnesia." He hoped she wouldn't push the question of why. He really was not up to answering that question right then.

Fortunately, it seemed the gods were on his side. Sarah simply handed him another cracker, retreating into silence. Silence was safe. Sarah began nibbling on a cracker herself, pondering her situation. Here she was, sitting on a king sized bed, right next to the Goblin King, who was pale and sweating, and had vomited a good portion of his stomach contents in the toilet and the trashcan beside her. The man she'd poisoned with her cooking. She smirked faintly, and began chuckling.

Jareth looked up at her, frowning. "Something amuses you?"

"Stupid thoughts." She said. He gave her an expression that eloquently said: 'Oh, really?' She sighed, leaning her head back against the headboard, shaking her head. "Consider this. I'm sitting on the bed of the person who played a starring role in several youthful nightmares, who currently looks like hell, and isn't particularly intimidating at the moment." She gave him a pointed look. "Meanwhile, apparently, I was in the reverse position a week ago. You have to admit, this is ridiculous. We have to see if we can go at least a week without one of us getting drugged or poisoned."

Her let the insult about him not being intimidating slide. He wasn't feeling up to fighting with her again, regardless. "I'm glad my misery entertains you." He said, glaring at her.

"It's not your misery, you idiot..." She handed him another cracker to mollify him. "I have to admit, this is certainly more interesting than my night _was_ going to be."

"Oh, so? Planning a night of studying?"

She laughed slightly. "On Friday night? You're kidding. I was at a party up the street-" Suddenly, she found herself very intimidated by the Goblin King who was looking at her furiously.

"You idiot of a girl! You went to _another_ party, after what happened last time?! You were nearly raped, you twit, and you-"

She glanced away. "I was drinking water. Being social. I declined the alcoholic beverages that were pushed at me. Marc seemed really angry about it-"

He seethed, leaning back against the headboard, putting a hand over his face. "I'm not surprised. He's likely who slipped you the drug last week-"

"He _what_?!" She looked at him, stunned. "Wait, how do you..." She suddenly realized he'd stopped the bastard from raping her. She felt her stomach drop out and felt the distinct urge to vomit in the basin beside her as well.

Jareth felt her hand cling to his and a shudder worked through him. Her bare flesh against his was like an electric current running through his body. He closed his eyes, taking a slow breath. He leaned his head over on her shoulder, taking comfort in her presence. He drifted asleep before he even realized he was tired.

Sarah felt him relax beside her and looked towards him, finding his eyes closed in sleep. Her eyes widened and jaw sagged slightly. Sleeping like that, leaning on her shoulder, she suddenly realized that even for his age, he must be very young by the standards of those like him. She gave a small half-smile, wondering what her friends in the Underground would think when she spoke to them next and she told them she'd spent an evening with the Goblin King.

She giggled, closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep as well.


	3. Chapter 3

_AN: After reading through the first two chapters, I became rather aware of the difference between this and my fic which is being betaed. Namely, there are a heck of a lot more errors. .; Sounded deliriously comes to mind. Phuu. u.u; Perhaps I'll go through again and fix my rather copious errors next..._

_Disclaimer: None of the Labyrinth issues are the property of the Jim Henson Co. Any other resemblances to other characters/series are simply the result of me being really bad at thinking of names..._

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The Devil Does Exist

By: DemonSaya

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After that evening, Sarah felt herself settling into an uneasy companionship with the Goblin King. She still couldn't force herself to say his name, as if to do so would cause him to have some kind of power over her which he didn't already possess by having those pictures. She wasn't certain what kind of power that might be, but it was a mildly unnerving thought. She would attend her classes during the day, eat her lunch with Christine and Elizabeth, and then go over to straighten up his Nibs now clean home.

After the food poisoning incident, said Goblin King had determined that she needed cooking lessons, and so after she was done cleaning, he would teach her a simple recipe, then teach her how to prepare it. It was fairly odd, how good he was at teaching her things. While she couldn't always understand his flowery language, he taught her by having her do things.

She couldn't deny it was a strange relationship, and her friends in the Underground had been horrified to learn where there sovereign had gone. It turns out the Goblin Kingdom had not been informed of the leave, until his little brother had shown up, and Jareth told them, moments before poofing off to god knows where. Hoggle had told her that if '_that guy_' gave her any trouble, he'd come through the mirror and deal with the over-dressed peacock himself.

She'd kindly explained that he hadn't harmed her – which was true – and wasn't bothering her – which was far less true.

Yes, after that evening she'd poisoned him, she couldn't help but notice the subtle change in how he behaved around her. He'd always watched her in silence while she worked, usually with an odd light in his eyes, but now that light had changed. He had taken on an air of defiance, as though he was fighting against...something. What he could be battling, she had no idea.

Upon discovering that Marc was following her, Jareth told her to have her friends walk her to his place, and he walked her back after dark. While his this protective side of him unnerved her a bit, she also found it endearing, and she often found that he knew the most fascinating things. Their conversations on these walks were long, meandering things, which sometimes led into discussions about how he was able to use magic, other times into the daily business of the Goblin Kingdom, and sometimes even meandered towards her life in the Above. Sometimes their conversations would die and they would simply walk in silence.

They still had their fare share of arguments, but Sarah found that she was having more and more difficulty looking at him like he was a horrible monster like she had before. Not evil, perhaps simply misunderstood, she mused. She chuckled at the thought, chewing the end of her pen, sitting in her first class the following Monday morning.

She was also getting the impression that the Goblin King was lonely of all things. She wondered if those rather compromising pictures he'd gotten didn't have something to do with that. He was blackmailing her into spending time with him. She'd never considered that he might desire company from someone familiar who wasn't already a denizen of the Labyrinth. He stealthily avoided the topic whenever it came up, commenting on something – anything – else.

Strangely, she was found herself thinking of the man more and more, when her mind would wander. Not a _man_, her mind corrected. But not a monster, either. Somewhere caught between the two, bound by a responsibility to take wished away children off to the Labyrinth. Sarah frowned, wondering when the _last_ time he'd gotten a vacation was.

She brushed off her thoughts as simple pondering, curiosity about the Goblin King, who she'd been so quick to tar with the 'villain' brush. Was he arrogant? Sure. Was he a control-freak? Definitely. But he was also an incredibly intelligent, and remarkably patient creature. He'd have to be, dealing with goblins all the time. Idly, as she doodled little goblin faces around the edge of her paper, she wondered if the Goblin King had wound up changing Toby's diaper. After all, any child who wasn't potty trained, would likely require a diaper change during the ten hours she ran the Labyrinth.

She choked on the image of the fluffy haired king she remembered, leaning over her brother when Toby's 'automatic sprinkler system' kicked in and had to bite her lip to keep from roaring in laughter. Oh, he'd kill her if he knew she pictured that.

She scrubbed the smile from her face and stood when the teacher dismissed them. She stood, heading to her next class, finding Christine waiting outside the entrance. "Chrissy, what's up-"

Chrissy pulled her around the corner and took a deep breath. "Marc is planning on raping you." She managed to keep her voice low and even. "He knows your class schedule, and he knows your night class it tonight. He's going to try to catch you alone and he's going to..."

Sarah put her hands on her friends arms. "Chrissy, who taught you how to defend yourself against the creeps in your class first year?"

"You did."

"Who taught you how to throw a punch?"

"You did."

"Do you really think that if Marc comes after me, I'm not going to put him in a world of hurt?"

"But Sarah, he's going around asking for help!" Chrissy was pale. "Beth and I have a music rehearsal tonight, and it's going to run late, so we can't _walk_ with you!"

Sarah gave her friend a quick hug. "Look, I'll call his Nibs and see if he can't walk me home. Just relax. No way I'm going to lay down and take it." She helped her friend calm down, and pushed her away a bit. "Tell you what, tonight, when I get back to the room, I'll tell you and Beth my history with his Nibs."

Chrissy gave a shaky smile and Sarah winked, releasing her. "Now go on, before you're late."

When her friend was gone, Sarah frowned. The prick obviously wasn't going to give up until she seriously brought on some hurt. She headed towards her room, preparing to study until her evening class. She'd call his Nibs and inform him of the situation, and she'd find 'Brass'.

Once the door was locked behind her, Sarah changed into something flexible and easy to move in, some stirrup pants, and shorts over that. Her soft-soled boots, which could keep her movements silent. Her favorite Bowie live t-shirt. Her brass knuckles and a can of mace were stuck into her coat, and she found her favorite hunting knife and stuck it into her boot. She'd actually almost laughed off her father's concerns when she'd left home, when he'd presented her with the brass knuckles and mace. The knife was a throw back from her self-defense classes.

Then, she sat down, pulling the phone towards her. She dialed the now familiar number, and heard it ring several times. "Heya." She greeted when he answered the phone.

There was a bloated pause, and then Jareth's voice came over the line. "Sarah, is something wrong?"

"Pardon?"

Another long pause. "You don't usually call for no reason, and I highly doubt you'd call me to 'chat'."

She heard how weary he sounded and felt a bit guilty. "It's...nothing." She lied.

"Precious, you're a terrible liar."

She scowled at the phone and sighed. "Chrissy said that she and Beth can't walk me back after class tonight. It's no big deal-"

"What time?"

His voice was quiet. She blinked in surprise and rubbed the underside of her nose, trying to tell herself that his concern wasn't cute. "It's probably no big deal-"

"I thought I was clear that I did not want you wandering around alone. I have nothing of importance planned this evening, so do tell me what time your class ends..."

She twirled a pen in her hand, just to keep it busy. "Nine." She said quietly. "And...thanks." She said, twirling the phone cord around her finger. She was about to hang up the phone when there came the softest response from him.

"You're...welcome."

She felt herself blush as she hung up the phone, and wondered why her heart had skipped a beat when he'd he'd said that. She refused to admit, or accept that she was falling for his innate charm. It was ridiculous. She'd only seen him again two weeks ago, and she barely knew him, regardless of having worked for him for the past week. He was still the villain from her childhood, even if she was seeing his softer side now-

She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing the thoughts of him from her mind. Dammit. If she couldn't start focusing on her schoolwork, rather than her instructor, she was going to fail.

Four hours later, she wandered into her math class, sat down and prepared for two hours of mind-numbing discussion.

It hadn't boded particularly well with her when she noticed Marc was already outside the class, standing in wait. Maybe there was some validity to Cristine's warning. Her mind nearly went into complete meltdown when she heard her Math Professor dismiss them early.

"Alright everyone, you have your homework, and I have a date tonight, so get outta here!" She ordered.

Sarah glanced around, praying for someone to walk with. She swallowed hard when she noticed several of the boys in her own class joined up with Marc after they walked out of the room. She asked several girls if she could walk with them, but most of them gave her the cold shoulder. She latched onto a few of the quieter girls, slipping her hand into her pocket, lacing her fingers through the holes of her brass knuckles. A glance behind her saw several guys following not far behind.

She swallowed, and when the girls broke off, she broke into a dead run. She wasn't a coward. However, she wasn't going to fight that many guys if she didn't have to.

Shit...she should have thought to ask his Nibs to walk her to the building and hang around until she left.

A hand grabbed her arm and she whirled, swinging, not looking at who she was aiming at. She connected with flesh just as she recognized who she'd swung at. The Goblin King took the full blow to the cheek, but didn't go down. Her breath rushed out of her and she stood there, gasping, trying to think of a way to apologize. Unfortunately, the boys following her cleared the corner and were heading towards her.

Jareth got a grasp of the situation rather quickly. Between Sarah's disheveled appearance, the fear in her eyes and the approaching group, he didn't need her to explain why she'd hit him. With a casual wave of his hand, he stopped time and, as a result, the group of males running down the hall. He lifted that same hand, probing his cheek gingerly. "Well, that smarts." He muttered.

"I'm sorry..." She had her face scrunched up and looked so adorable with her hair tousled by her run and cheeks lightly flushed that he found he couldn't be particularly peevish with her.

He smirked at her. "I might have to punish you for this." He said in mocking amusement. "Striking a King is an act of war." The way she flushed and sputtered was endearing and he chuckled. "Rest easy, precious. Let's get you on your way, and I'll start their time in a few minutes..." He led her down the hallway, around several corners, and out a side door before waving his hand again.

Sarah didn't speak much as they walked, but once he was illuminated by a street light, she noticed his cheek was bleeding. She lifted a hand, touching the place she'd struck him lightly. "Are you okay? I mean, I tried to pull it when I realized, but that was nearly full power."

He stilled when her hand touched his face and he looked down at her. "If you keep up like that, I might think you're concerned for me." He teased lightly. He expected her to get angry. He waited for it, but when she hid her face, he frowned. "Sarah-"

"I'm not inhuman," She mumbled, unable to look at him. "I hit you and could have broken your jaw. I was wearing brass knuckles, you idiot. Of course I'm worried."

He sighed softly. "Precious, I'm not human. I hate to injure your pride, but I've been hit harder. It was a powerful hit, and granted, unexpected, but not near enough to seriously wound me." He chucked her chin, arching an eyebrow at her when she met his gaze. "How is your hand?"

She blinked, looking down at it. "It's fine. I took self-defense the last few years of high school."

He watched her flex it, frowning. "Well, as the hour grows late, I should return you to your domicile. Before those idiot boys discover the trick, and are waiting." He headed down the street, listening to her near silent foot fall beside him. "You should probably tell that young man clearly that you're not interested." He said quietly.

She glared at him. "You think I haven't tried? I told him Friday, and he followed me to your apartment. I'm about to get a restraining order on his stupid backside."

Jareth chuckled softly. "Precious, as good an idea as that seems, a restraining order is merely a piece of paper. I'd almost rather call a few goblins up as your personal guard." He realized what he'd said at the end and wanted to swear. Way to put your heart out for everyone to see, genius, he mentally berated himself.

Sarah blinked, almost afraid to look at him. The question was on the tip of her tongue, but she knew he'd evade it as he always did when she started inquiring about his emotions. In fact, his face was already schooled int that indifferent mask and she gave an exasperated half-smile. "The sentiment is appreciated, but unnecessary." She said softly.

He glanced towards her out of the corner of his eyes and saw her wearing that faint smile and felt an echoing one tug at the edges of his lips. They continued to walk in silence, Jareth conjuring a crystal and rolling it about his hand as a way to distract himself from the girl beside him.

"How do you do that, anyways?" Sarah asked, drawing his attention back to her.

He glanced towards her, finding her eyes mesmerized by the movement of the crystal. In an moment of inspired brilliance, he slipped it into the hand closer. "It's not difficult. Would you care to learn?"

She looked up at him, eyes shining. "You'll teach me?"

He managed to find his voice after he shrugged. "I don't see why not." He saw her watching the round crystal's every movement and conjured another. "It's fairly simple, but it does take practice."

"Most things do..." Her hand reached out, as if wanting to touch one of the cool spheres.

"If you want to do something right, precious, everything does..." He smirked. "Even old skills, if you want to retain a level of mastery..."

She looked up at his face and saw the amused expression on his face and caught the subtle innuendo within the words. She blushed, returning her gaze to the crystal sphere. It took several moments for her to regain her composure. "So, uh, how do you...do that?"

He smiled. "It's better to start learning a skill like this in a place where you wont damage a crystal. These are little bits of magic, Sarah." He began passing the two between his hands, barely appearing to move on the flat of her palm. "If they break, so does the magic that binds them." He saw a devious expression enter her eyes and smirked. "If you're thinking about the crystal I have those lovely pictures stored within, you wont find it."

"Aw nuts." She muttered.

He chuckled, waving the hand that held the crystals and making them both disappear. "Well, now that you are a great deal more relaxed and much calmer than when you hit me, perhaps you will answer truthfully." He saw her eyes lift to his and she looked confused. "Are you alright?"

She remembered what had happened and she felt a shiver work up her back. "They didn't touch me." She lowered her head, taking a deep breath. "If I can out run the cleaners, I can outrun that jerk..." She could see the light over the entrance way to her apartment ahead and glanced towards the cut on his cheek, which was still red with blood. "Uh, if you want, you can come up and I can clean that. I mean, it is my fault..."

He looked surprised at the offer. The odd lighting cast most of his face in shadow, but his eyes looked bright in the darkness. "That would be...appreciated." He sounded as though he were choosing his words very carefully.

"Right," She blushed, lowering her eyes. "Then, let's go." She did a motion with her head, summoning him to follow her, not seeing the expression of anticipation in his eyes.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Ouch!"

Sarah arched an eyebrow, at the exclamation. The Goblin King made quite a picture. He sat on a stool in the bathroom, wearing a petulant frown, and trying to cover the cut with his hand after she dabbed the antibiotic ointment onto it. "I did warn you it would sting."

"Sting? That is the most vile substance that has ever come in contact with a wound in my existence!" He leaned away from her when she tried to pull his hand away.

"Oh, don't be such a baby!" She grabbed his wrist. "Big bad Goblin King, whining about a little ointment! You're worse than my baby brother, and he's _four_!" She saw the semi-wounded expression on his face and pulled his hand away, gently putting a band aid over the cut. Not thinking, she pressed her lips to the small bandage once it was in place. She realized a millisecond before planting her lips on that sculpted cheek what she was doing, but it was too late to stop. The man sucked in a sharp breath and she quickly pulled back, gulping. "There, all better." She managed to get out, but it came out a little breathless.

He swallowed hard, seeing the uneasy expression on her face. "Is it?" He asked quietly. "I think it could use another."

She met his gaze uncertainly, and glanced towards the cut. "No, I'm quite sure it's alright."

"It still stings." He inclined his head, a mischievous look in his eyes.

She rolled her eyes, sighing heavily. "Oh, fine!" She snapped, leaning forward to kiss the small plastic rectangle, but this time, when she was too close to pull back, his hand slipped into her hair, his head turned and suddenly his lips were against hers. She found herself staring into his eyes, which were dark, warm. A little whimper left her and her eyes fell closed against her will.

When her eyes closed, those lips angled, and swept across hers, catching her lower lip between them as they swept back. Then, they settled against her mouth, coaxing, easy, almost lazy. She should push him away. He was her _teacher_ for heavens sake, not to mention a king from a completely different world, and the bastard who'd kidnapped her baby brother to boot. Unfortunately, even as she mentally understood all this, her body had decided that this was _very_ nice, and she wanted it to continue for awhile longer.

Moaning, she set her hands on his shoulders, torn between pushing him away and wrapping her arms around his neck and conveniently forgetting who he was. Almost against her will, her mouth began moving against his, and when his tongue caressed the seam of her lips, she opened herself to him.

Jareth purred in pleasure, supporting himself with his free hand as he kissed her. Her kiss tasted of surprise and strawberry flavored chap-stick. He'd long since closed his own eyes, and was quite happily forgetting everything in this world and his own, save the girl who was responding to the kiss he'd expected her to jerk away from. He moved from the stool, closer to her, positioning his mouth over hers, taking a more dominant position in the kiss, pleased when she moaned and twined her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

There was a single knock on the door, which snapped Sarah out of her happy place, and she put her hands against Jareth's chest, shoving him away from her just as her roommate entered the bathroom. She stared at Christine with a deer-caught-in-the-headlights kind of look and attempted to catch her breath. "Uh...hi?"

Christine stared at the scene for a long moment, looked towards their Professor and gulped. "Uh, hi, Professor, I need to borrow Sarah for a minute." She grabbed her friends arm and drug her from the bathroom, down the hall and to her room.

"Chrissy, it's not what it-"

"Oh, don't even!" Christine whispered, stunned. "You were _snogging_ Professor Tightness!" She grabbed her friends arms, shaking her a bit. "I want _details_."

Sarah shook her head. "It's not like that," she objected. "We're not...involved like that. Look, I'll explain later, but please, please-"

The door opened, revealing the Goblin King standing there, looking at her, an unreadable expression on his sculpted face. "I'm afraid I must depart, Miss Williams. It's quite late, and since you've bandaged me up, I really should go."

She heard the cool indifference in his voice and flinched. "Ah, okay..." She said. "I'll show you to the door-"

"I assure you, I can find it myself."

She watched him leave the doorway and sagged. For some reason, his cold neutrality hurt. It shouldn't hurt, or was she the only one affected by that kiss? No. That wasn't it. He'd pressed closer every moment their lips had been fused. She wanted to swear and rage. She bit her lip, leashing her emotions, then turned towards her friend. "Well, since he's gone, I guess I can tell you."

Christine saw the carefully controlled expression on Sarah's face and moved towards the door. "I'll get us some drinks, you look like you could use one."

Sarah followed her, sitting on the kitchen counter, while her roommate poured two tumblers of tequila. "I've known him awhile, but when we first met, he wasn't a professor." She put her head in her hands. "You know that little red book I have in my room?"

"The Labyrinth? Yeah." She put a tumbler in her friends hand and studied her carefully. There was a helpless look on her friends face. "What about it?"

"Three years ago, I was my baby brother's only baby sitter. I was convenient, because I didn't date and didn't require payment." She sighed. "I was really angry about it for a long time, and one day, I actually wished the goblins would take him away."

"Okay?" Christine shrugged. "I probably would have been pissed, too."

"Yeah, but the thing is, the goblins _did_ come and take him away." She saw the stunned look on her friends face and grinned. "Crazy, right? Then _he_ showed up. The King of the Goblins." She got a far off look in her eyes and sighed, sagging a bit. "He offered me my dreams, as long as I forgot about Toby. I, of course, refused. He wasn't pleased. He said if I really wanted to get him back, I had to take a stab at his Labyrinth, and if I could defeat it in thirteen hours, I would win."

"Sarah-"

"Let me finish." She said, shakily. "Please. To give you the short version, I made it, and got Toby back. I always held on to that part of my life, because it's what led to me growing up." She put her face in her hands. "I made a few friends in the Underground, which is where Toby was taken. I still see them now and then, though I never asked them about their King."

"What does this have to do with Professor Hot Lips?"

She lifted her face, draining the rest of her glass. "The Goblin King's name was Jareth. In other words, Professor Jareth King is the Goblin King. My nemesis from when I was fifteen." Sarah scrubbed her face. "I never thought I'd see him again. Yet here he is, and I'm his housekeeper. He insisted when he found out Marc was following me everywhere that I be escorted, and then tonight, class let out early. I made a break for it, and his Nibs made the mistake of grabbing me while I ran, so I punched him..."

"Ouch."

"Yeah. Left a nasty cut on his face, cause I was wearing 'the Brass'. I had him come up so I could patch him up and without thinking, did what I do when my brother gets hurt and did the 'kiss it better' thing. He said it still hurt and told me to kiss it again, and I...did. I didn't expect him to, but he turned his face, and kissed me." Finally, she looked up.

"Oh, god, Sarah..."

She lifted her face, looking at her friend, shaking. "It felt good. I've kissed people before, Chrissy, but I've never had anyone kiss me like that." She closed her eyes, looking away. "But it can't happen again. He's a teacher, one of my professors, and who knows what would happen."

"I do." Christine said. "He'd probably shag you senseless, and if you two got caught, you'd be in huge amounts of trouble. Likely he'd be in more than you. Either way, he'd probably lose his job, and you'd screw your reputation, but damn, Sarah, for a piece of that, I'd say it'd be worth it."

"He's the guy who kidnapped my baby brother!"

"Were you really thinking about your brother when he was locking lips with you? Because if you were, there's something wrong with your brain."

Sarah flushed. "I did...for about half a second." She glanced away. "Oh, god, Chrissy, he tastes like nothing I've ever had before. And his _smell_," she shuddered.

Christine grinned. "Well, girl, it sounds like you already know what you want. Just try to be discrete, and you'll be fine."

Sarah looked at her friend, who was smiling at her and gave a small grin herself. Whatever this was, it was certainly bound to be extremely interesting. She hopped off the counter and headed to her room, grinning as she realized that tomorrow, she had one class. And it was with none other than the resident Goblin King.

He had no idea what was coming.


	4. Chapter 4

_AN: I went through, correcting a great many errors in the first three chapters. Perhaps I should ease up on the speed posting. Anyways, in response to the reviews I've been getting: Yes, I've read GND. While I've read a few pages of Roommates, I find myself enjoying the life of the girls, with Jareth as slightly crazy stalker, always using his crystals to peep on girls in the bath._

_I've actually received reviews from several names I recognize from the jdbfangirlharem, so I figured I should say hi to them XD Huge thanks to Clare, for her reviews, as well as being beta for another of my stories, and thanks CoffeeKris as well, for your review. Everyone, thanks so much for your words of encouragement, and favorites, etc 3 I'm very glad everyone's enjoying this. Hope this chapter doesn't disappoint ^_^_

_Disclaimer: None of the Labyrinth issues are the property of the Jim Henson Co. Any other resemblances to other characters/series are simply the result of me being really bad at thinking of names..._

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The Devil Does Exist

By: DemonSaya

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Jareth always arrived to class well before the students. He would spend the hour skimming the work he would assign for the day, and begin writing the points he desired for them to pay attention to. Today, however, he found he could not force himself to move. He sat at his desk, leaning back in his chair, staring into nothing. His class had begun trickling in moments ago, but he still found that he simply didn't care.

His mind was continuously replaying that point when her lips had hungrily been perusing his neck and chest and shoulders, moments before her interfering roommate wandered in, unknowingly killing the moment. He could still remember the delicious taste of her mouth, the soft way it had given just slightly beneath his.

Several of his students were murmuring in confusion. It was not out of character for him to stare vacantly into space, while letting his imagination take him where all too often his life did not. Unfortunately, this habit was going to interfere with his class today. Ah, perhaps an exam would distract him from his current pondering, while giving him the opportunity to consider how to corner Sarah into a similar situation today. Perhaps after the other students left, find a reason to keep her after, pin her against the door, and happily reexamine the corners of her mouth with his tongue.

He smiled in a way that caused a shiver to go through every student in the class.

Yes, that would do nicely.

He stood, pulling that handy stack of exams he had conjured out of nowhere from his desk and moving forward. "Since I'm in such good spirits today, I thought an examination was in order." He proclaimed, hearing the unanimous grown of misery that went up in the class. Several students muttered something about him being a sadistic bastard. He pretended he didn't hear, setting a stack of paper upon each desk in passing. Upon reaching Sarah's he frowned, noting the girl's absence. He glanced towards her roommate. "Miss Williams would be where today?"

There was something about the broad grin on her friends face that caused a tingle of anticipation to run through him. "She wasn't feeling well." She lied, and from the look on her face, she knew he would see it as a lie.

Interesting. "Well, I suppose she will have to make it up at a later date." He said, moving forward once again. When the tests were finished being passed out, he returned to his desk, watching the irritation in the students face flicker as they took the exam. Sarah, precious, what mischief are you planning, he wondered, his lips curled up in that devastating smirk. He could find out. He wanted to find out. Had he known she was planning something for him, he would have told the class they could come back next week, while he rushed home to see if the minx was in the process of cooking up some delightful magic.

Opening his desk drawer, he saw the crystal with her delightful pictures from the party floating around inside. A faint smirk turned up the corners of his lips. He had some sinister plans for that delightful body she normally kept hidden beneath such conservative clothes.

A sudden prickle caused the hair on the back of his neck to raise and he glanced towards the student whom was glaring at him and found Marc's black gaze meeting his own.

Hm, it was possible the youth recognized him from the hallway. He had stopped time quickly, but he was a little unmistakable. It was with no small amount of arrogance he thought that.

He glanced up as a test was slammed down on his desk with an exceptional amount of violence. He found Marc glaring down at him as though the man would like nothing more than to reach over the desk and tear his throat out. He gave the man a mild look. "If you're finished, you may go."

Marc snarled at him, leaning towards him. His hand lunged forward, gripping the front of Jareth's shirt and he leaned forward, ignoring the general exclamation of shock round the room.

"Young man, I would not do this if I were you." Jareth said calmly, looking at him.

The boy took several deep breaths. "You stay away from my girl!" He hissed quietly.

"Your girl?" The professor inclined his head to the side. "Of whom do you speak?"

"Sarah!" The boy snapped, obviously furious.

Jareth smiled in an inane manner, wrapping his hand lightly around the hand that was tangled in his shirt and began to apply pressure. He didn't speak, simply staring into the boy's eyes, letting the glamour flicker ever so slightly. Enough to reveal his ordinarily feral eyes, looking up into Marc's, not looking away. "I'm going to say this one last time, Marc." He crooned softly. "You do not wish to do this."

Indecision flickered through the boy's eyes and his hand reflexively released him. Then, he bolted from the room.

He surveyed the now uneasy class, his eyes pausing on Sarah's friends, who were more speculative than uneasy. "Well, that was a rather rude thing for your classmate to do, distracting you all from your tests like that. Go ahead and finish up." He gesticulated with his hand, indicating they could continue.

Christine examined him a little bit longer before returning to her test.

Hm, what had his precious Sarah told her roommate in regards to him?

It didn't truly matter. After all, as long as the mortal did not interfere with his plans for the evening, she could speculate all she wished.

Slowly, other students finished their tests, bringing the exam to the front of the room and dropping it on Marc's. Afterwards, the student would wander back to their desk, collect their belongings and leave the room. In the end, only Christine and Elizabeth remained, and they finished at the same time. They walked up to his desk, dastardly smiles on their faces and as they dropped their tests on his desk, they chirped, "Have a nice evening, professor!" Then, gathering their belongings, they left.

How positively cryptic.

He stood, setting the tests in his briefcase, and decided to walk home. It would give the delightful minx a little more time with whatever she had planned.

His mind raced through possible scenarios she could plan – her mind had always been delightfully creative – and he found himself hoping she would include that delightful little corset she wore when she attended that party somewhere within it.

He entered his apartment, gave the guard a cheerful wave, moving towards the elevator, entering it and pressing the button for his floor. It seemed to take forever, and just when he was, again, considering simply using his powers to get him to her side, the doors opened, and he hurried down the hallway.

He gave his door a wave and it unlocked, and opened the doorknob slowly, peering inside the apartment.

It was dark.

He frowned, wondering if Christine had been right and Sarah was merely unwell, when he noticed the faintest flicker of candles. He pushed open the door and found himself smiling at the scene. Of course, she'd want romance. He closed the door silently, kicked off his shoes, deciding to go find the lady. What he found and what he expected were drastically different.

Sarah stood miserably in the middle of his kitchen, tears in her eyes, her lower lip trembling, looking hopelessly down at a charred, blackened mess. There was an open book off to her side, and he could see it was a cookbook. "What did I do wrong?!" She wailed. "I know I followed the instructions!"

Jareth moved forward, slipping his hands over hers, preventing her from dropping the dish in shock. "Precious, are you alright?"

She twisted, looking up at him, then looked back down at the dish. "You're...early."

"You're crying." He said, stunned. He turned her in his hands, taking the dish from her and setting it down on the stove. "Why the tears, precious?"

She lowered her eyes, sniffled. "I...was trying to make dinner. I wanted to do a good job. I was really careful, I followed the recipe!" Her insistence made him smile. Unfortunately, that seemed to make her think he was mocking her attempt. "Oh, is it funny!? I was trying to do something for...for..."

He cupped her face, searching it for a long moment. "Precious, I would not laugh at you for this. Your actions are only further evidence of the romantic heart you have." He brushed his lips across her cheeks, down to her jaw, finding her rapid pulse in her neck. It was pounding frantically against his lips. He pulled back, seeing the dazed look on her face. "Are those the steaks I'd purchased?" He inquired mildly.

She nodded. She looked so upset, even with those dazed eyes.

He smiled, wrapping his arms around her, hugging her against his chest. "May I make a suggestion, precious?"

"I suppose you will regardless..."

"Bring me the phone book. That time living alone, I've discovered that when distraught and distracted, it is better to order take away."

Sarah stared at him, and after a moment, a grudging grin turned up the corner of her lips. "And what would his majesty prefer?"

He smirked at the faint sarcasm in her voice, pretending to ponder. "I've rather developed a taste for mongolian beef." He saw the look of disbelief in her eyes and chuckled. "And what would my lady care to eat?"

She flushed when he'd addressed her as such, but put on a good show, tapping her chin, looking away, as if food were truly what was on her mind. "Honestly? I always preferred sweet and sour with a side of egg drop soup." She said in a laughing voice.

"Ah, so you prefer to take the good things with the bad?" At her confused expression, he smirked. "Precious, with all due respect, Sweet and Sour is nearly the most vile thing on the menu." Her jaw dropped and he laughed outright. "Perhaps we should explore other options on the menu?"

"Pizza?"

"Your preference?"

She blinked innocently. "Hawaiian."

"What is it about you and pineapple?" He asked, his voice incredulous. "First your Sweet and Sour, now your Hawaiian Pizza! Do you eat anything edible?"

She whacked his chest lightly. "How about gyros?"

"I was unaware that there was Greek delivery in the area."

She smiled broadly. "It's near my apartment and they make a decent sandwich, and a fantastic baklava."

At the mention of the sweet desert, he smiled wickedly. "It's not the pineapple, is it? My dear, you have a sweet tooth!"

She blushed. "What of it?"

He purred softly, bringing her close to him. "Oh, I'm sure we can satisfy that sweet tooth of yours." He liked the way her eyes dilated in awareness.

"And what of my lesson?"

"Hm?" He inquired, pondering the fingers which were resting on his chest. He wanted to lean down and nibble upon them. "What was that, precious?"

"My lesson? With the crystals?" There was a delightful glint in her eyes.

"Oh, I'm sure we can squeeze in a lesson between dinner and dessert..." His eyes swept down her figure, which was still wearing a silly apron over a t-shirt with California written upon it, and blue jeans on her legs. When he looked up at her, she had a slightly arched eyebrow. "Didn't I mention that I have a sweet tooth as well?"

Sarah's cheeks darkened, and she self-consciously wet her lips.

He smiled at the motion. This was simply delightful.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Two hours later, after eating their meal and fighting half-heartedly over the last bite of the dessert, their dishes had been abandoned in the sink, and Sarah was staring down at the little crystal ball which rolled around her palms. Her face was a mask of concentration, but her body was very, very distracted. It did not help that behind her, holding his hands under hers as she stared at the little ball, sat the Goblin King, who was extremely happy with his own situation.

He'd first taken that position, saying it would make learning the complicated skill simpler. His chest had come into contact with her back, as his hands slid down her arms, beneath her own. His hands acted like a guide, and his sharp gaze had caught the crystal moments before a fall several times already.

They both sat upon his couch, her sitting on the edge, him sitting, his legs on either side of hers, which left her entire body very aware of how close she sat to him. Ordinarily, the whole situation would have set off her fight or flight response, but once her initial nervousness wore off, she found being in the arms of the Goblin King a delightful place to be.

"Okay. I think I'm ready to try without help..." She said, still moving her hands in that little figure eight as the ball danced on her palm. His hands slowly slipped away and she found she missed them, found herself wishing he would put his arms around her and just hold her. She frowned faintly, concentrating on her hands, instead of the man who was causing that electric sensation in her body. Her brows shot up, and she smiled. "Hey, I'm doing it!" She turned to show him.

When their eyes met, time seemed to stop. Maybe it had. Sarah felt herself go still and the crystal began to roll off her palm. Jareth's hand caught it as it left her palm, sliding it between his own. His lips were smiling down at her and there was that heated look in his eyes. He made the smallest movement and had it sliding up the back of one hand, over his fingertips and down his palm.

She was mesmerized by him. Despite everything else she'd ever said about the man, this single thing had always been true. He was beautiful and mesmerizing and she'd lost herself to him at some point. He was why she'd never been able to have a proper relationship. He was her dreams personified and wrapped in leather.

She never stood a chance.

She felt his eyes searching her own and placed her hand over the crystal, turning to face him and pressing her lips against his. She could feel his lips twist into a smile and pulled back, looking up at him uncertainly. His eyes were warm, and that arrogant smirk was on his face and she found she didn't care. She swallowed hard, pulling the crystal from his hand, moving and setting it safely within a bowl on the counter. Then, she walked back to him, standing above him, eyes not leaving his.

He leaned back slightly, simply looking up at her, that infuriating smirk still in place. It broadened and he lightly patted his lap.

Swallowing, she sat down on the leather-clad thighs, surprised when his arms went around her, hugging her against his chest. She looked at him, eyes wide.

"You have given me a delightful evening." He said softly, searching her eyes. "Whatever have I done to deserve it?"

She found her eyes flicking down to his lips and when she met his gaze once again, those mis-matched pools were bright and hot. "Everything." She said quietly, her voice soft. "You've done so much for me, and I've been ungrateful." She caressed his face, watching his eyes fall shut in response. "And last night..." She glanced away.

His eyes popped open and he found her unable to look at him any longer. "Sarah." He called gently, catching her chin, turning her to face him. "I don't expect anything, precious. Nothing I've done since we've been together again has been through ulterior motive."

"Except the pictures?" She asked, sounding a little tart.

He smirked. "I shall not apologize for those pictures, precious. I plan on keeping them indefinitely."

Her eyes widened and she stared at him. "Why?"

"Because, my dear, you are beautiful." He brushed the hair from her face, looking at her closely. "You were always beautiful. Even banning me from you, that brilliantly inspired look on your face was lovely." She looked so stunned, he had to laugh. "Did you not know?" He called the crystal back to him, throwing an image from his mind onto it's surface. The scene played again and again, and her fifteen year old self said he had no power over her.

Sarah's eyes widened and she looked up at him, her full lips parted slightly. His face was pained, but he stared unblinking at her image, saying those words over and over. She'd hurt him, she realized. Gently, she reached forward, touching his face. Her other hand covered the crystal. Her lips balked at forming his name, but she wanted to say it, she wanted to call him back from that other time, to her. "J-Jareth..." She finally whispered.

His eyes snapped to her face, startled. He flicked his wrist and the crystal vanished. He slipped one hand into her hair, pulling her mouth against his, plundering her thoroughly.

Sarah gasped when his mouth crushed hers, insistent and demanding. His other hand was flat against her back and she could feel the leather against her skin. A moan left her, and his tongue invaded her mouth, as though he were claiming her. She fisted her hands in his hair, shifting on his lap, putting her thighs on either side of his, putting her face over his. Gently, she pulled away, looking down into his face. "We could both get into trouble for this."

He seemed to consider that, examining her closely. "Does it bother you?" He asked, his chest heaving.

She shook her head and said, "I made my decision last night, after you left. It's why I came here today. For as long as I can, I want to be with you." She saw the warmth in his eyes and swallowed hard. She ran her hands over his face, leaning down, brushing her lips lightly against his. "Jareth." She breathed against his lips, watching as his eyes fell closed and he smiled.

"Precious, I've waited ages to hear you say my name, and to hear it that way is positively wonderful." His arms were suddenly around her, one hand under her backside, the other flat between her shoulders. She gasped as he stood in a single motion. "I want you, Sarah." He said softly, looking into her eyes, his face serious.

She shivered slightly, pressing her face into his hair. There was only one answer, but she was so afraid. "Then have me." She finally whispered, closing her eyes tightly.

He moved confidently through his apartment, waved his hand to open his door and brought her into his room, setting her amongst the regal sheets. A wave of his hand sent his door closing silently.

Sarah watched him stand over her, his eyes slightly reflecting the minimal light. He was so perfect, it almost hurt to look at him. When he moved towards her, she propped herself up on her elbows, unable to take her eyes off of him. If he did this to her fully dressed, what would it be like when the clothing started coming off?

He knelt on the bed near her feet, crawling up her body slowly, his eyes never leaving hers. Her throat had gone very dry and she found herself very nervous. When he settled against her, she let out a startled gasp. His lips quirked up slightly and then grazed her own, very gently. "Sarah." He breathed, one hand sliding up her arm, leaving a tingling trail in it's wake.

She swallowed hard as he pulled her into a seated position, those wicked hands of his finding the edge of her shirt, inching it up over her skin. She let him divest her of her shirt, her face flushing when his eyes swept over her. She moved to cover her exposed skin, but he caught her arms, pinning them against her sides. "Don't stare..." She mumbled, glancing away, her face flushed darkly.

He smiled faintly. "Precious, I am not intending on rushing through this like some foolhardy adolescent. I intend to do a great deal of looking, touching, kissing, and nibbling, long before we...get down to business."

She felt her cheeks heat but before she could look away, his lips caressed hers, and she wound her arms around his neck, moaning into his mouth as his fingers wandered down her ribs. "Jareth..."

He shivered at the sound of his name on her lips and he lifted his gaze to hers. "Yes, precious?"

"Be gentle?" She whispered, watching his eyes warm, his lips turn up into that devastating smile.

He leaned forward, answering her concern by brushing his lips gently against hers. "Naturally, my dear." He purred, his eyes heated. "Always. But only for you."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

_an: Yes, I did just cut it off right there. I figured that's as far as it can go on here and keep a T rating. I'll put the full and uncut version on or when I get around to it. XD Hope you enjoyed it._


	5. Chapter 5

_AN: Anyways, in response to the reviews I've been getting: Yes, I've read GND. While I've read a few pages of Roommates, I find myself enjoying the life of the girls, with Jareth as slightly crazy stalker, always using his crystals to peep on girls in the bath._

_Disclaimer: None of the Labyrinth issues are the property of the Jim Henson Co. Any other resemblances to other characters/series are simply the result of me being really bad at thinking of names..._

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The Devil Does Exist

By: DemonSaya

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Jareth lay in his bed, a warm body curled up against him. His lover. His _Sarah_. Her hair was fanned out in sharp contrast of the gold of the pillow. Her bare shoulder peeked from beneath the edge of the sheet, her hand resting under her cheek. She looked so peaceful, he couldn't wake her. He should return her to her room, to let her recover.

Her sharp cry as he'd penetrated her had come as a shock, and he fully understood the gift he had been bestowed with. Her first lover. Any man after him would be measured against him, against what they'd had together. Not that there would be another, if he had any say in the matter. She was his, and he did not like to share.

He watched her sleep, her skin still flushed from their activities. Her lips were turned up into a gentle smile and he gently brushed her hair from her face. He'd kept his word. He'd touched and stroked and kissed, licked, nibbled his way over her entire body. He knew every dimple, every freckle with the intimacy of a good friend. He loved the way she'd gasped his name, the way her hands had speared into his hair when he'd begun learning her breasts. He loved everything about her.

He loved her.

He had not spoken the words to her. He would not, until he knew her own. He'd offered himself to her once, and while he understood that she was young, the rejection had stung. He would not give her a reason to do so again. He would like to think that her offering him herself as she had was a good indicator, however nothing was certain with this human. He'd learned that the hard way when they'd faced off in his Labyrinth.

She shifted slightly, her bleary eyes opening and looking up at him. Her lips spread into a wide smile and she reached forward, touching his face tenderly. "Hi..." She said, her voice sleepy.

He closed his eyes at her touch, smiling faintly in return. "I wondered how long you would sleep." He said quietly.

"You didn't sleep?" She mumbled, snuggling closer to him, her head coming to rest on his shoulder.

He looked towards her, letting her sprawl partially upon him. "I couldn't." He said softly. He'd been too afraid to wake up and find her gone, or realize that it was nothing more than a sweet, sweet dream. "Are you in pain?" He asked, putting his other arm around her.

"No..." She shook her head. "It...wasn't as bad as I'd thought it would be." She blushed. "Thank you."

He chuckled slightly. "The pain is not a prerequisite, precious. Had I known, I would have made certain there was none at all." He saw the way her eyes shimmered and he rolled, putting himself above her. "Precious, you look uncertain. Why?"

She lowered her gaze. "I...don't know. I haven't felt like this before." She lifted her eyes, seeing his had warmed again. "You have been kinder than I feel I deserve. I've been..." Those mis-matched eyes filled with understanding and she blushed, glancing away.

"Let the past remain in the past, precious." He said softly. He saw the way her eyes teared up at his words and kissed her eyes gently. "As much as I would like to keep you here for a very long time, I must say, you should return to your own home." He blinked in surprise when her hands gripped him, as though afraid he would disappear.

"Can't I stay?" She whispered.

His eyes warmed. "Darling, I would like nothing more. Unfortunately, it would not look very good for you to be going to your class from your professor's home." He saw the disappointment on her face and smiled. "It is nice to know you shall miss me as well."

Her eyes flicked to his and she blushed warmly. "Jareth?"

He wrapped his arms around her, sinking down beside her. "Yes?"

"Can I stay a little longer?"

His lips turned up into a broad smile and he leaned down, kissing her lips. "Don't forget that you have lessons tomorrow..." He was very tired now. Perhaps he should take a brief nap. "Love," he mumbled against her shoulder, "I shall set an alarm." He waved a hand, sending a little crystal to float above them. "Let us rest."

As he drifted off to sleep beside her, he felt one of her hands fist slightly in his hair, as if to keep him from disappearing.

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Sarah woke in her room, tucked into her bed, Jareth leaning over her, his hand gently stroking her hair. His wild hair was mussed, his eyes happily fatigued. She reached up, touching his face. "You look tired." She mumbled.

"I am." He smiled faintly. "I fully intend on sleeping for a very long time when I return to my domicile." He saw her blush and chuckled. "You are so lovely when you sleep, I simply couldn't wake you." He said softly, smiling. "I dressed you and transported you here."

"Did you forget to dress yourself?" She teased, still blushing, but running her fingers over his naked chest. She caught a glimpse of her wrist and saw the pale silk shirt he'd been wearing that evening on it. She glanced up at him, curious.

"I covered the necessities." He gestured at his leather-clad legs. He teased lightly, leaning down and kissing her lips lightly. "I shall see you tomorrow, precious." He said, smiling.

She blushed. "Okay." She agreed.

He began to dissolve, and in the remaining moments, Sarah noticed an almost anguished expression on his face, as though it were physically painful for him to leave her. Her eyes widened and she reached towards him, but he was already gone. She found that after seeing that expression on his handsome face, sleep seemed to want to elude her.

She lay there, tossing and turning, wondering why he'd worn such a devastated expression. Had she unintentionally hurt him again? She couldn't think of anything she might have done, but with Jareth one could never be sure. He had a magnificent ability to hide his emotions. Yet, this evening, even last night with him in the bathroom, she'd seen a wealth of them in his eyes.

Was it possible that the sovereign felt something above and beyond the attraction between the two of them? Her lips turned faintly into a frown. And if he did, why would he not tell her? The obvious answer came to her as she remembered the masochistic reaction he had to looking at her tell him he had no power over her again and again.

Reality shimmered in front of her, and she realized that he cared deeper than he would say. He would not offer himself to her again, not until he was certain of her feelings. They could be lovers, he would bring her pleasure, and he would not deny her requests, but he would not offer anything more until she came to him.

Which of course meant that she was going to have to carefully examine her feelings for the man who'd managed to turn her world end over end. As a teen, she'd been mesmerized by his beauty, by his power. He'd enchanted her with words and action and song. She couldn't forget the thrill of fearful anticipation whenever she'd faced him in the Labyrinth.

What startled her was the knowledge that these feelings had never disappeared. She'd measured every man she'd ever met against the Goblin King, and had yet to find one who made her feel the same. Now, she was glad. He had made her first time something she could look back and remember fondly, rather than something she'd regret for the rest of her life. She hugged the shirt tighter around herself. It was comfortable, and it smelled like him.

With a heavy sigh, she wandered out to get a glass of orange juice. There was a faint light from the living room, and she glanced in, curious to who was up so late. Sarah scratched the back of her head when Christine and Beth both looked up. "Hi, I'm back."

They looked at her, their jaws dropped, and they ran towards her.

"Oh, my god! That's the shirt he was wearing in class today!" They squealed. They pointed from her to the shirt, as if she didn't already know.

"Well, I had to wear _something_ home." She said, grinning at them.

"OHMIGOD!" They hugged her, jumping up and down. "Details, girl, we want details!"

"Very specific, anatomical details!"

Sarah laughed, hugging her friends. "I'll tell you what I can, but there are a few things that are going to remain between me and his Nibs."

They groaned in disappointment and she laughed again, heading into the kitchen to pour her juice.

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Being lovers didn't suppress their ability to argue with each other. In fact, it seemed that now that they'd been together in bed, they argued with greater frequency and passion. Sarah often found that their arguments seemed to head to the bedroom, where they would find other ways to express their passions than yelling. She winced, rubbing a rather painful bite on her shoulder with a hand, giving her Professor a vengeful glare. Their nights together were getting later and later.

However, both oddly, and amusingly, Jareth had completely separated their life in school from their life in his home even more than it had already been done. While they were together in the aspect of teacher and student, he did not treat her any different than any other student. She was given the same work load, the same tests.

The prick even made her make up the test she missed. Okay, granted, after she'd made up the test, they'd had a great deal of fun on his desk, stopping just short of having sex on school property. She felt his eyes fall on her and they twinkled with the faintest hint of amusement. She glanced around, making sure no one was looking and bared her teeth at him.

He leaned back in his desk chair, his eyes shining with amusement. He picked up a long pen, setting it against a sheet of paper, and scrawling something on it.

Her once blank notebook page suddenly began showing his graceful calligraphy. She peered at the page in curiosity, before a blush began heating her face. She looked up at him in surprise and saw that self-satisfied expression on his face. Feeling a bit shy, she lowered her gaze back to the page.

That was descriptive.

She lifted her own pen, chewing lightly on the end, flicking her gaze from the page to the man, her face warm, but as usual, he'd managed to stir up a heat within her. Damn him. She was even in class. How could he do this to her? Maybe she should return the favor.

When his amused gaze lifted to hers, she adjusted her grip on the pen, slipping it past her lips and sliding it back out, not letting her eyes leave his. She saw the flash of surprise on his face and a moment later, he spun the chair around. Victorious, she turned the page in her notebook, scribbling down notes, waiting for him to dismiss the class.

"Alright, everyone, study well, this week." When his voice rang out from the front of the class, she looked up, seeing him writing an announcement on the board. "Next week starts mid-terms. After that, you all return to your homes for vacation." His eyes flicked towards her, a strange expression on his face. "So, no homework, no assignments, just be back here on Tuesday." He picked up a stack of papers, setting them inside his briefcase. "Okay, you brats, get out of here."

Most of the students raced for the door. Marc, however was heading towards her desk. Sarah stood, gathering her books, slipping them into her messenger bag, holding the notebook that Jareth had left his mark in clutched to her chest. Marc rested his hand on her desk, leaning towards her. "Any interesting plans for the holiday?" He asked, his lips twisted into a smirk.

Sarah saw Jareth's eyes focus on her and she slipped that last notebook into her bag, glancing towards her friends, who were waiting at the door, with their boyfriends. "Not really. I was going home for a bit." She said calmly.

"Ah, I see. I thought you'd be visiting your boyfriend."

"I don't have a boyfriend, Marc." She said coolly.

He smirked, pulling a picture from his pocket. "Really? Because, I could have sworn that I saw you the other day..." He turned it towards her, wearing that victorious expression.

She swallowed hard. It was through the crack of the classroom door, revealing her sitting on her professor's desk, his lips raining kisses down her throat. "How did you get that?"

"It's simple, sweetheart. I've paid good money to get someone to tail you. Too bad you got comfortable with the teacher. If I took this to the Dean, you could get kicked out, and Professor Douche-bag could get fired." He pretended to be shocked and upset, but there was a wicked gleam of amusement in his eyes.

Cold settled into the pit of her stomach.

"You see, darling, I'm giving you till the end of vacation to dump your boyfriend and make the _right_ choice. If you're still an item when you get back, then your college life is over."

Sarah took a steadying breath. "You jackass." She took several steadying breaths, walking away from him.

Marc caught her arm. "You've been warned. Don't think I wont follow through..."

"Is there a problem?"

They turned, finding Jareth looming over them. Marc quickly hid the photo, grinning up at the man, wearing an expression of undisguised malevolence. "No, problem, Professor. I was just going." Marc headed down the aisle, his eyes amused.

Sarah stood there, shaking, trying to calm herself with deep, soothing breaths. She felt the warmth of Jareth's hands on her, and turned, looking up at him, her eyes wide in fear. She shook her head. "I can't. Not right now." She babbled, pulling away and running from the room. When had this happened? When had she started caring so much? She heard her friends calling after her, but she didn't stop. She ran all the way back to her apartment, hit the door, fumbling with the key for several moments before it unlocked and she slammed it behind her.

Tears fell down her face.

Why did it hurt? When had she gotten so deeply involved in this relationship that it caused this much pain, this much fear just from the idea that it would end?

She'd known it would end before she'd ever stepped into his room. He would go back to the Underground, and she'd be stuck here.

She scrubbed her eyes, trying to calm her sobs. That's right, she'd always known it would end, but she hadn't expected it _now_. She couldn't see him. She'd crack, she'd break. She couldn't.

"Sarah?"

She looked up, startled. Dammit, she'd forgotten he could glitter-poof into a room!

Jareth was looking down at her, his face a mask of concern. He knelt beside her, gathering her against his chest, not saying another word. The next thing she knew, she was in his apartment, sitting on his couch, while he moved around his kitchen. Not too much later, a drink was pressed into her hand and his voice filtered through her. "Drink it, Sarah."

She lifted her gaze, finding his face in front of hers. Tears danced in her eyes and she looked down at the amber liquid in the glass. She lifted the snifter to her lips, drinking it as fast as she could. When it was empty, she pressed it into his hand. "More."

"Precious-"

"Please." She begged. It made her feel fierce and brave, like Marc's threat held no strength. The snifter was returned to her hand and she knocked it back, letting it burn through her, numb her brain and heart. She stared at him for several long minutes. "You're so perfect." She murmured, reaching towards him. He closed his eyes in response to the touch.

"Isn't that my line, precious?" He said, his voice light, but his eyes concerned. His fingers gently brushed through her hair. "Tell me what is wrong, love? I can't fix it if I don't know."

She shook her head, lunging into his arms, clinging to his shirt. "I can't. Not now. Please, Jareth..." She took several deep, soothing breaths. "Let me think. Let me..." She felt her head swim and her body warm. "What was that you gave me?"

He chuckled. "I did try to warn you. It's a home brew. Goes down like brandy, only stronger." He put his arms around her, lifting her in his arms. "Come on, precious. Let's lay you down before you hurt yourself." He moved through the house, opening doors without touching them, finally laying her among the gold silk on his bed. He straightened, looking down at her face. She looked...oddly weak. "You need some food. Just lay here, I'll make something-"

"Jareth?"

When she said his name, his breath rushed out of him and he moved towards her again, sitting on the bed, cupping her face between his hands. "What do you need, precious?"

"I...don't want to have sex tonight." She finally managed. "Could I stay with you anyways? Could you..." Her voice trailed off when she saw surprise on the Goblin King's face. She forced herself to finish her sentence. "Could you just hold me?"

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "Give me a little bit, I'll make us some food, and then I will do whatever you wish." He promised, leaving the room. He was growing accustomed to her periodic requests to be simply held. In the scant month they'd been together, for a full week she'd denied him the privilege of doing more, and often, during the nights before he'd return her to her bedroom, she'd ask him to hold her. She seemed to take comfort in the action, and he found he did as well.

In the kitchen, he put together a simple fruit bowl and a club sandwich for his lady, then returned, finding her curled into a fetal position, as though she were trying to ward off the outside world. "Precious? Here's your food." He watched her untangle herself and saw fresh tear-tracks. Whatever she was thinking about was probably useless garbage.

What had that little bastard said to her, anyways?

Sarah nibbled on the offerings, pleasantly surprised when he climbed into the bed with her, his arms curling protectively around her. Now and then, she'd turn, share a piece of fruit or bite of sandwich with her. He never rejected her offerings, often meeting her gaze, his eyes warm, gentle. When the food was gone, she curled up with the man, feeling warm and more drunk than she'd felt in a long time. "Jareth?"

"Yes, precious?"

"I really care for you, you know that right?"

He propped himself up on his elbow, his eyes warm. "You don't need to say anything about it." He said softly, his gloved fingers caressing her cheek. "Don't worry."

She tugged him down, putting her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "I have to say it. You have to understand what I mean." She could practically feel his confusion, his puzzlement. Tears danced in her eyes and she turned her face into his neck. "There's nobody I've ever cared for as much as you."

He smiled slightly, but he couldn't help wonder why she sounded like she was saying goodbye. "Sarah?" He propped himself up on his elbows, but found his lover curled up, sleeping on the bed. He sighed, laying beside her, deciding that just this once, he could let her spend the night. He pulled her warmth against him, pressing his face into her back. "Oh, darling, what is troubling you, so?" He murmured, pressing his face into her hair, kissing the crown of her head gently.

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_an: Sorry about the wait with this one. I wasn't really sure where to go after the nooky. Anyways, yeah, Marc's causing problems. Also, in addition to this, I'm working on two other stories regularly, and there's there are several incomplete ones which I have to finish sometime soon._

_Thanks for all the reviews and encouragement!_


	6. Chapter 6

_AN: Anyways, in response to the reviews I've been getting: Yes, I've read GND. While I've read a few pages of Roommates, I find myself enjoying the life of the girls, with Jareth as slightly crazy stalker, always using his crystals to peep on girls in the bath._

_Disclaimer: None of the Labyrinth issues are the property of the Jim Henson Co. Any other resemblances to other characters/series are simply the result of me being really bad at thinking of names..._

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The Devil Does Exist

By: DemonSaya

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"Finally! VACATION!" Sarah winced as Christine and Elizabeth squealed in her ear. She'd managed to avoid discussing the events of the week prior, and she'd been ignoring the dark looks Marc had been giving her on a near-daily basis, because at least for now, she'd disregarded his threat. For the time being, she was contenting herself with being the lover of the Goblin King.

"So what are you two doing?" She asked, swirling a carrot stick in ranch dressing.

Christine giggled. "Raoul and I are staying, hanging around the school." She pretended to swoon. "He likely wont let me leave his room."

Elizabeth grinned. "Will rented a beach house. We're going to get cozy by the fire and the waves. How about you and his Nibs?"

Sarah smiled vaguely. "He has to go home." She saw surprise on their faces.

"B-but this is the first vacation you've had a boyfriend! Why aren't you two spending it together?!"

She shrugged slightly. "He left his brother looking after things back home, and he's a little worried about what's going on there." With a wave, as though it didn't matter, she bit into her carrot. "Besides, if I don't go home, I'll hear about it. Toby's birthday is in a week, and he'll be out for blood if I'm a no-show."

"You make him sound vindictive!"

Sarah chuckled. "Not vindictive, inventive." She shrugged helplessly. "Besides, I'm sure I'll be kept occupied for those few weeks."

"Well, tonight, there's a party! The last big bash this semester! We should all go together!" They looked at her slyly. "Or do you have plans...?"

Heat rose to her cheeks. "Sorry..." She begged out.

They giggled. "Well, we're going to go get ready. If you change your mind, see you at the party!"

Two hours later, Sarah found herself alone in the small apartment. Her small bag was partially packed, and she was still pondering this pseudo love-triangle she somehow got herself involved in. She found that shirt he'd took her home in hanging in her closet and lovingly caressed the silk. Pulling it gently from the hanger, she hugged it, burying her face into it. It still smelled of him very faintly.

Sighing heavily, she flopped down on her bed, staring down at the gray silk. She cared too much to lose him, but if he was fired, she'd loose him regardless. "What am I supposed to do?" She wondered aloud, folding the shirt very gently, slipping it into her bag, hidden between two other articles of clothing.

"You're taking it with you?"

The sound of his voice brought a sad smile to her lips. "Yes." She confirmed. She turned, looking up at him, smiling. "If you don't mind."

He smiled down at her, offering his hands. When she set her own in his, he drew her to his chest. "Precious, when have I ever denied you anything?" He asked softly. He leaned down, capturing her lips. He was surprised that she kissed him back with a startling amount of passion. The past few days, since that conversation she'd had with Marc, she'd been unsettlingly reserved. In fact, the normal arguments they had dwindled, and she'd become withdrawn, cleaning quietly, not engaging in their usual banter.

However, he could do nothing save answer it, wrapping his arms around her, slipping his hands beneath her shirt, easing it over her head. "Are your friends home?" He gasped between kisses.

She shook her head, pulling him down again. Easily, she maneuvered her hands to the buttons on the front of his shirt, flipping them open easily. She felt his hands easily removing her bra and she moaned as his lips swept down her neck. She had to drop her arms to let it fall to the floor, and she took the opportunity to move her bag off the bed with an almost careless sweep of an arm.

Jareth chuckled, stilling her frantic movements. "What's the rush, darling?" He breathed, looking down into her face. He saw the haunted look in her eyes, a look which was growing all too frequent these days. Gently, he cupped her face, kissing her tenderly.

She melted. Slowly, she wound her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. "Jareth..." She whispered, as his lips left hers, sweeping across her jaw. She closed her eyes, holding him tightly as his arms swept down, lifting her off the ground, and suddenly, she was laid gently against her bed. She opened her eyes, finding him leaning over her, his eyes gentle.

"Precious, are you ever going to tell me what's wrong?"

She swallowed hard. "I'm going to handle it, Jareth-"

"That doesn't mean I don't wish to know what has caused you so much pain."

She stared up at him, dumbstruck. "We're half-naked, about to make love on my bed, and you want to know why I've been moody the past week?"

He chuckled softly. "Yes, precious, I do wish to know. It might not seem like the right time, however, consider from my perspective: you cannot disappear and reappear in a different location. You also have nothing whatsoever covering your top half, so you can't run. So I can stay here, torturing you until you tell me."

Her eyes widened and she wanted to hit him, but he tended to retaliate in sometimes painful ways. "Do you really have to know?"

Impatience flashed through his eyes and he leaned forward, scraping his teeth along her collarbone, drawing a squeak from her lips. "Yes, precious, I have to know."

She closed her eyes, biting her lip as he grazed her neck with his lips next. "Jareth..." She tangled her hands in his hair as his lips continued brushing lightly over her exposed skin. "Ahh..." She bit her lip, arching against him, turning her face away from his.

"What did that insufferable little prick say to you, precious?" He stopped touching her, simply pinning her wrists above her head and looking down at her.

She groaned in frustration. Finally, she stopped fighting him. "He has a picture of us together." She said quietly. "From that time in the class, after the make-up test?" She saw him frown deeply. "He said he'll take it to the Dean if I don't break up with you and make the 'right' choice, which I'm sure means him." She saw a slight frown on his face and smiled faintly. "This is why I didn't tell you. You'd want to do it, you'd want to take care of it-"

"Are you denying me the privilege of helping you?"

She lowered her gaze. "Jareth, I know you can probably solve this just by snapping your fingers or flicking your wrist, but..." She lifted her gaze, staring up at him. "You've done so much for me. You have no idea how much you've done. The Dean could fire you if he finds out all the circumstances involving how we...got together, and for once, I want to do something for you."

Jareth sighed softly, cupping her face, smiling slightly. "Darling, if this is something you feel you must do yourself, fine, however, I would appreciate it if you would let me in on little things which might affect our relationship."

She smiled, nodding. "Okay," she agreed.

"Besides, precious, just because you wish to face off alone doesn't mean you shouldn't have all the ammunition at your disposal."

Her eyebrows shot up into her hairline. "What ammunition?"

He smiled deviously. "By the end of the holiday, it will be in your hand, my dear. No need to be impatient." He teased lightly, leaning forward, and kissing her lips. "Now, where were we?" He purred, his eyes sweeping down her body, alight with mischief. "Ah, yes. I remember..."

His hands released her wrists, and she tried to put her arms around his neck again, but found her arms pinned to the bed. "Ah, Jareth?"

"Yes, dear?"

"My hands?"

He gave her a positively wicked smile. "No, dear. I'm afraid you'll have to be punished a little for your willful refusal to answer my repeated queries regarding your mental health. So this time, I'm not giving you the slightest bit of control. You'll be able to see everything that comes towards you, but you wont be able to stop me, pull me closer, anything else."

Her face heated and she felt a shiver of fearful anticipation snake up her spine. Oh, damn him.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

It was several hours before the pair went their separate ways, Jareth stealing through her mirror as a quick way into the Underground, where he would undoubtedly poof back to his castle. Sarah, meanwhile finished packing her clothing, hearing her roommate stagger in about an hour later, giggling and laughing.

"Raoul!" She gasped, pretending to sound appalled. "What if Sarah's home?!"

"Your roommate would want you to get laid!"

Christine laughed, slapping his chest lightly. "We have a two week holiday, baby. No need to rush. Sarah's heading out tomorrow!"

"What about my room? My roommate left immediately following class-"

Sarah pushed open the door. "I don't mind, Chrissy. I'll put headphones on or something." She saw the horrified expression on their faces and giggled. "Don't be such prudes." She chastised, then disappeared back into her room. They stopped being quite as loud and bawdy, and she rolled her eyes, slipping headphones over her ears and listening to one of her cassettes.

She would go home for a week. She would celebrate her baby brother's birthday. She'd distract herself from a few necessary evils for a little while, and when she returned, she was going to curl up in His Nibs apartment, wait for him to come home and shag him as senseless as he'd just shagged her. Then, she'd make the only concession she was willing to make to Marc. She closed her eyes, taking a deep, steadying breath. She was strong enough to do this much.

But she was _not_ going to let go of the man she'd found herself falling in love with. She wanted to see if this relationship would be able to go farther than it already had. Especially in the face of the new endearment her lover had begun using.

Love.

She'd known he cared. Since before they'd laid together first, she'd known. His eyes always seemed to rest on her, his lips in that ever so slightly mocking smile, but his eyes always held that strange expression, she'd only recently recognized as loneliness. Even while black-mailing her into cleaning up after him, she was almost certain it was just a ruse so that he wouldn't be alone in that apartment. No, he didn't know how to clean, but she'd looked into his closet, and found it empty. He'd been poofing in clothing from the Underground, and poofing used articles back. He was probably doing the same with his dish wear.

She paused, her lips turning into a slightly saddened smile. Whoever would have thought that the powerful Goblin King would be lonely? He was surrounded by people both day in and day out, people who catered to his every whim and wish. People who feared him, loved him. Yet, he'd run away on what he called a vacation, to get away from them. He'd run to the Above, and unintentionally into a teaching position in her school. A position which would put him near daily contact with people. Yet, he'd still gravitated towards her.

Could he love her? Did he really love her?

She closed her eyes, shivering faintly, hugging herself. He'd blackmailed her, to be sure, but from what he'd said, he'd saved her before that. He'd brought her to his apartment, where he could easily have taken advantage of her, yet he'd simply cared for her as she recovered from the withdrawal symptoms from the drug she'd been slipped.

He'd spent evenings with her, never pressuring her for anything beyond the unsteady relationship which was forming between them. As though he was waiting for her to come to him. Oh, she'd fallen quick. After all, when he wasn't being an overbearing creep, he was a charming and even sweet companion. He had a sharp wit, sometimes cutting humor. And with her...

So gentle, so warm. She opened her eyes, looking towards the shirt which was laying partially out of her suitcase. Even leaning over her, being a domineering jerk. She could still feel every place where his lips had trailed over her. Could still feel his hands as he re-dressed her after his mischief was complete. They'd parted on a pleasant note, but as he turned to enter the mirror she'd caught the faintest hint of his reflection, the ache on his face he always wore when they were separating.

Her heart had twisted in pain and for just a moment, she'd reached for him, but then he was gone, just the faintest trace of smoke and glitter, and the lingering scent of ozone.

She reached for the pale silk, lifting it to her face and breathing the scent in deeply. The scent caused her to sigh in contentment before she folded it carefully, and replaced it in her bag.

No, she wasn't going to just lay down and let that bastard extort her out of the first thing that felt right in her life. She was going to fight. She was going to teach Marc just who he was dealing with.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Naturally, since this was to be a short 'break', it was going to be anything besides relaxing. The second Jareth stepped through the mirror and was Goblin King instead of Professor King, the modicum of peace which had settled around him due to the presence of Sarah Williams shattered completely.

First, there were twelve new petitions that day alone from goblins who wanted new chickens, complaints about their chickens being stolen, and arguments over who loaned who what chicken.

Why was it always sodding chickens?

After that, Rowland bored him with the things which had gone on during the past several months, as though he didn't come by once a week to make sure that the kingdom hadn't fallen apart without him. He was wise enough to never use the main entrance, choosing instead to poof himself directly into his office. Had his mind not still been fogged from the pleasure of being with his lady, he would have done the same today.

"Jareth, are you listening?"

Jareth rolled his eyes towards his brother, whose shockingly white, spiked hair adorned his round head like a pointy crown. Those bright, unnervingly blue eyes looked back at him. "Not particularly."

"The other sovereigns are wondering where you went off to-"

Jareth leaned back, smirking at his brother. "I fail to see how it is any of their business where I take my break. I suppose it did not occur to them that I didn't wish to be found. I fully intend on going back next week and taking another extended...vacation."

Rowland blinked at the amusement on his brother's face. The past several years, the over-confident, carelessly arrogant older brother he'd always remembered had given way to a moody, almost pessimistic man. Now, however, he was seeing the brother he always remembered. "You...seem like your sabbatical is helping your overall mood."

"Oh, it's going swimmingly." Jareth agreed. "And I have absolutely not intention with sharing the details-"

"_Jareth, you no good, arrogant bastard!! Where's Sarah?!_"

"Ah, and that would be Hoggle." As though the day wouldn't get any worse. Leaving his precious Sarah, coming back here, where she would not be, where he could not see her for at least a week.

"Who is Sarah?" Rowland asked, looking towards him.

Hoggle stormed into the room before he could reply, red in the face with anger. "Where is she, you no good, yellow-bellied cheat! She said you were-" He saw Rowland standing there, an expression of distinct interest on his face and checked himself. "She said you were there!"

"You can relax, Hogmart. Your precious Sarah has merely returned to her family residence for her school holiday. Not a hair on her head harmed, promise." Or any other body part, he thought with a smirk. Not a bruise on any part of that delightful little body of hers. He was practically salivating thinking about it. Ordinarily, he'd be quite happy to make the dwarf jealous, however, he didn't want Rowland to know all the details surrounding the lady.

Hoggle looked at him in suspicion. "You promise you haven't touched her?! She told me about the blackmail!"

"Blackmail?"

So much for Rowland not finding out details. However, he couldn't help teasing him just a little. "No more than was absolutely necessary given circumstances."

Hoggle flushed dark red. "JARETH!"

The sovereign smiled through tight lips. "Why don't you run along and ask the lady herself? She has told me you can speak to her from any mirror. She should be at her home inside the next hour." He waved a hand and a few of his guards swept down on the dwarf. "Now be a good sport and go home, before I'm forced to chuck you head-first into the bog of eternal stench."

Shooting him dagger-like glares, the dwarf was led from the room. He cast a sideways glance towards his brother, finding the younger man looking at him with distinct confusion. "What?" He asked, perhaps a tad defensively.

"Brother, have you been trifling with a mortal?!" Rowland sounded both offended and angry.

And it begins. He cared for his brother, however, Rowland had a deep resentment for mortals. Jareth scoffed, turning his back towards his brother. "Hardly trifling, Rowland. And not any mortal. A very special mortal, whom once tore through my Labyrinth, befriended several creatures many mortals would sooner fear than look upon with any form of affection."

"You sound _fond_ of the creature."

Jareth looked at him sharply. "That creature is the woman I fully plan on making my Queen. You would do well to show her some respect." He stood, striding away from the young, man.

Rowland sputtered. "A_ mortal_ Goblin Queen!? It's hearsay, it's impossible! The other Kingdoms would-"

Jareth raised a hand. It was true the other Kingdoms would object to such a union. "Do not pass judgment on Sarah Williams. She has a rather uncanny ability to weave friendships from betrayal, panic and fear; love from taunting, anger, and intimidation."

There was a long pause. "She's bewitched you."

The accusation caused him to smirk in amusement. "No. She has no magic. She is a bright, imaginative human with a absolutely delightful sense of humor and passion equaling my own." He looked towards the window which overlooked his Labyrinth and smiled ruefully. "And she is a fighter. A challenge. You name the creature, they have fallen at my feet before reaching the end of my Labyrinth. I threw my best at her, and you, Rowland, have seen my best. Yet she succeeded."

His brother scoffed. "She's just a mortal. Perhaps one of your servants betrayed you, not letting you spell bind her-"

"Not possible. Hogspill does not have that ability, Ludo is simply a beast, and Sir Didymus is loyal, despite his disloyal act of showing her the way to the castle. That woman got through on her own grit, determination." He turned towards the uncomfortable young man. "I'll introduce you to her sometime soon. Perchance, she will consent to a visit to the underground prior to the end of our mutual break."

"You act like she's something irreplaceable," the boy muttered.

Jareth barked out a laugh. "You will understand one day, when you've come across someone who makes you feel as I do currently. You're still young. There's no rush for you. I, on the other hand, am rapidly reaching the end of my prime, and there is something about her which calls to me. There is always the chance that I shall fail, as I was defeated by her once. It is best to not take things for granted where this girl is concerned." He chuckled. "But I do not intend to go down without a great deal of fighting."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"I'm home! Karen? Dad? Toby?" Sarah wandered into her home, setting her bags down. Moments later, a small figure threw himself into her arms. Toby Williams had grown a lot since he'd been taken into the Labyrinth. He was now about to turn four. She laughed, sweeping her baby brother into her arms, spinning him around. "Heya, squirt!" She said, happily. "How're ya doing? You've been good for everyone, right?"

"You're back! You made it back! I wasn't sure you would!" Toby bounced in her arms, his eyes shining with happy innocence.

She hugged the boy tightly. "Where is everyone? It seems pretty quiet?"

"Mom had to lay down while she was cooking your welcome home dinner. Then, a little while later, she was laughing and crying a bit. I don't know why. They wouldn't tell me."

Sarah arched an eyebrow. "Well, maybe they'll tell us later." She hefted her brother, heading in to find her step-mother. The woman was laying on the couch, and a curious little pink stick laid not far away. Sarah arched an eyebrow, leaning over her step-mother. "I'm home."

Karen sat slowly, smiling a bit, her expression nervous. "How are you, Sarah? It's been awhile since we heard from you. Your father has worried."

Sarah grinned. "Do you want the long version or the child-friendly version?"

The older woman winced. "Oh, please tell me it isn't so bad that it requires two versions."

She laughed, hugging her brother tight against her. "Classes are fine. I'm having minor trouble with a boy at school, but it's being taken care of." She looked towards her step-mother and sighed. "And you'll be pleased, I finally got a boyfriend."

"You've been...playing it safe, right?"

"Playing what?" Toby asked, his face confused.

Sarah patted his back, smiling until she registered the question, and her brain screeched to a halt as she tried to remember whether or not she and his Nibs had been 'playing it safe'. The answer came back as a big resounding NO. Aw, shit. She gave Karen a weak smile. "Safe isn't something that was on my mind when this whole thing started." She admitted. "I might have screwed up big time."

Karen gave her a mildly reproachful look. "Well, while you're on break, I suppose we'll have to take you by the doctor and see if everything is all right." She saw Toby's confusion and ruffled his hair gently.

Sarah sighed softly, leaning back on the couch. Mentally she counted days and wondered faintly if Jareth realized. Then again, there was always the chance that he'd never had intimate relations with someone like her, and so he might not even realize that one time with a human without some kind of protection could mean they'd be playing mommy and daddy from two different worlds.

That thought caused that strange ache that seemed to happen every time she thought about him leaving anymore. She bit her lip, standing. "You should have something to drink." She told her step-mother, smiling faintly.

Karen must have seen her inner discord, and frowned slightly. "Sarah, are you truly alright? You're pale."

"I'm fine. Just...fine." She hurried to the kitchen, pouring herself and Karen glasses of water from the pitcher in the fridge. When she'd thought that she'd let the consequences go hang, she didn't mean this particular consequence. She carried the glasses out into the living room, desperately hoping that the topic didn't come up again for awhile. Counting days, she shouldn't be fertile right at the moment, but it's not like there was a science to that, and accidents happen.

Worse yet, what would Jareth think if she sprung something like condoms on him after they'd been doing things as they had been for so long. She felt a tremor run through her. In all honesty, she didn't really like the idea of them either. There was just something about his flesh on hers which caused electric tingles to run through every part of her he came in contact with. Maybe she should see about getting some pills instead.

She returned to the living room, relieved that Karen set the conversation on her classes, things beside her love life.

That night, after Robert returned home, Karen announced that she was expecting, and Toby, in his youthful innocence, asked 'expecting what?'. There was much laughter, hugs, and kisses, until finally, Sarah went up to her room, carrying her bags. She closed the door and locked it, turning and finding an agitated dwarf looking out at her from the mirror. "Hoggle!" She rushed over, surprised. "I wasn't expecting you to visit yet!"

"I was checking to make sure you're a'right. Jareth got back today and was actin' all smug and superior."

She smiled faintly. "He hasn't harmed me, Hoggle. I promise. He's been charming and polite."

"He hasn't...touched ya, has he?"

She pondered how to answer that question gently. She didn't wish to outright lie to her best friend and finally sighed, sitting at the chair in front of her mirror. "Promise you wont go ballistic?" She asked softly.

"He has, hasn't he."

Sarah flushed. "Yes, but not to hurt me, Hoggle. You must understand that. He's different than I remember, you know? Rather than acting overbearing and intimidating, he's been kind, and almost gentle. He saved me from getting raped at a party, and he kept me comfortable until I came to myself. I don't remember much, but I don't think he'd lie about that."

"You sound...like you like him." Hoggle looked wary. When Sarah lowered her head, his eyes widened and he swore. "Tell me you're kidding, Sarah! He made the Labyrinth far more difficult than I've ever seen him do for a human! He's in it for revenge, he's in it for something, but it's not for you!"

She sighed, touching the glass gently. "I'm not sure that's the case," she finally murmured. "You haven't seen him, Hoggle. I don't think you can really see him. He's arrogant and he's a jerk, but he's also oddly caring and heaven knows he could have just left me there if he wanted revenge. I don't think revenge is what he wants. I think he's blackmailing me so that he wont be alone." She saw disbelief on her friends face and sighed, looking away. "I'm not asking you to be happy about it, friend." She said softly. "I'm okay. I promise. If anything happens, if I need you for anything, I swear I'll call. You know I will."

She watched his face waver for a moment and then he sighed. "If that jerk does anything to hurt ya, I'm gonna kill him, you know that?"

She kissed the mirror over his forehead. "I know you would. You're a great friend. I'm really tired, though, I should go to sleep. Goodnight, Hoggle."

His lips turned into an almost warm smile and he touched the glass. It shimmered for a long moment before he faded from it. Sarah sighed, resting her cheek on the cool top of her desk. "Jareth...have a good night, okay?" She murmured softly, closing her eyes to go to sleep.

Just as she started to doze, two arms lifted her gently. She blinked awake, finding herself looking up into mismatched eyes which were warm with affection. "Jareth...?" She mumbled, snuggling into him. "What are you doing here?"

"You called." He said softly, his lips smiling down at her. Gently, he rested her against her bed, leaning over her. "What did you need, precious?"

She looked up at him, eyes shining. "Karen and dad want to meet you." She giggled at the startled expression on his face. "Don't look so shocked. They've been waiting for me to 'develop an interest' in boys for years. I think Karen's going to give you a firm talking to if you decide to come."

He chuckled softly. "What about, precious?"

"Not using a condom." She giggled at his dumbstruck expression. "It's a long story. She's pregnant again. Everybody's thrilled."

"What on earth is a condom?" He asked, deeply confused.

She giggled. "It's like a little latex glove for your..." she paused, glancing suggestively down at his pelvis. When she glanced up, he looked perplexed. "To keep a girl from getting pregnant."

He frowned faintly. "If you were worried about that, why did you not mention it before?" He saw the blush on her face and arched an eyebrow in question. "Precious?"

"I didn't...think about it. I mean I did before, but not...with you." She found it difficult to meet his piercing stare. "Jareth, I..." She lifted her gaze, seeing warmth on his face. Before she could gather her thoughts well enough to speak, he leaned down, kissing her lips gently, coaxingly. She sighed softly, tangling her hands in his soft hair and enjoying the pleasant tingle that ran through her body.

He pulled back after the soft kiss, looking down at her as her eyelids fluttered back open. "I must return." He said regretfully. "I will take a day for you, and only you if you will only grant me a request."

She nodded, unable to find her voice.

He stroked her hair back from her face, smiling warmly. "You must set aside a day for me as well. To meet my relations." He chuckled at her surprised expression. "Hoggle barged in a short time after I arrived, demanding to know what I've done to you. He was very concerned."

"He still is." She said softly.

"This is the only reason you called upon me?" He asked, almost detesting the idea of leaving her side.

She smiled slightly. "I was wishing you a good night." She said softly. She watched his eyes warm and closed her own as he leaned down, caressing her lips with his own again. This kiss lingered, sweeping back and forth, until he finally sighed regretfully.

"I really must go."

She smiled, touching his face lightly, enjoying the electric sensation of their contact. "Go on, Jareth. Sweet dreams."

His eyes shone slightly. "Quite impossible, precious. My sweet dreams are here." He kissed the palm of her hand, and began to disappear. "Sleep well, precious."

She didn't bother telling him that it was going to be a rough night for her as well.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

_AN: A little longer than normal this time. Anyways, I guess this is going to be a tad longer than I expected. Just a little Valentine's day treat to myself. I couldn't work on Monster today. I'll likely try to work on Mist and Mysteries some more tonight before bed, and then tomorrow, hopefully finishing the chapter within another scene or so. Thanks to everyone whose left me a review, etc. Remember, feed your local writer, it gets new chapters out faster 3 Love and peace all! -Chibi no Oneesan/Demon Saya_


	7. Chapter 7

_AN: Anyways, in response to the reviews I've been getting: Yes, I've read GND. While I've read a few pages of Roommates, I find myself enjoying the life of the girls, with Jareth as slightly crazy stalker, always using his crystals to peep on girls in the bath._

_Disclaimer: None of the Labyrinth issues are the property of the Jim Henson Co. Any other resemblances to other characters/series are simply the result of me being really bad at thinking of names..._

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The Devil Does Exist

By: DemonSaya

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Sarah had torn through her closet not once, but three separate times, trying to find something, anything, to wear for this dinner. Each discarded piece had left her frustrated and temperamental. She wanted something that would both be modest enough to wear in front of her parents, yet wow Jareth at the same time. Yet, every thing here was too costume, too casual, too formal, even too...party.

Nothing for a nice dinner. Finally, she bit the bullet and grabbed her purse, looking inside. A frustrated moan left her as she realized her remaining money was nearly gone. Ordinarily, she'd call Jareth. Heaven knew he had an eye for fashion, and would undoubtedly get something tasteful yet scintillating. The problem with that was she didn't want him to see it until she opened the door.

That left only one other person who had funds and the ability to spot a nice dress. She stepped from her room, and went hunting her step-mother. "Karen?" She asked, leaning around the edge of the door.

The older woman looked up, wearing a flattering black pencil skirt and blue silk blouse with an apron reading kiss the cook over top of it. "Yes, Sarah?"

"Ah...well, you know Jareth is coming to dinner and I want to look...nice for it and I don't have anything to wear-"

Karen gave her a knowing smile, then stood, pulling the apron strings from around her waist. "Shopping trip, then?" She looked at her, saw the sheepish expression on her face and laughed outright. "Sarah, as long as we've been waiting for you to take an interest in boys-"

"Men, actually." Sarah corrected, smiling. At Karen's puzzlement, she grinned. "You'll understand later." She said, hugging the woman. "How much time do we have?"

"I was just planning the menu, so if you'll let me put the cold items away, we can go shopping and pick up Toby on the way home."

"I'll help." Sarah offered, passing items to Karen. The work went quickly, and within minutes they were in the car. Sarah, understandably, had a terrible case of pre-date jitters. It wasn't like she'd ever taken a boy home to meet her parents. Their opinion of him would not change her decision about him, however, she wanted them to like him, just in case he wound up being the father of any future Williams Grandchildren.

Later, of course. Much later.

They found themselves in a boutique, with Sarah having dress upon dress upon skirt upon blouse draped over her arms by her step-mother. When she was ushered into a changing room, the fifth degree finally began. She'd been expecting it, but no one had gotten her alone long enough to pump her for information. Now, she was trapped naked in a changing room, with her step-mother grilling her from the other room.

"So, what's his name?"

She sighed, sorting the clothes into outfits, eying them as they hung upon the wall. After a minute, contemplating whether or not she should tell her step-mother the whole truth, she sighed. "Professor Jareth King." She finally said.

Stunned silence. "He's...a teacher?" The woman sounded weak, concerned.

"I've known him for three years, mom. We met when I was fifteen. It came as a complete shock to find him as my teacher, and I've been helping him out-"

"You mean like a teachers aid?"

Sarah paused, sighing. "Not exactly. He's not very good at cleaning. I clean up his place and he cooks dinner, and I go back to my apartment with Chrissy for the night. We didn't...get involved like that until a month ago..."

"Sarah, this could get both of you in a great deal of trouble."

"I know. That's a problem I'm having right now. One of the guys in my class knows and is threatening to tell the Dean if I don't...well, dump Jareth and go out with _him_. Jareth could handle this easily, but I asked him to let me deal with it." She sighed, scratching her head. "None of these...feel right. Jareth would love some, but Daddy would have a heart-attack, Daddy wouldn't even notice some, and Jareth...would probably think I was dressed like a nun."

"Something in particular you're looking for?"

"An in-between. Something that's going to catch his eye, but will slide under the Daddy-radar." Sarah sighed softly, flopping down.

Five minutes of silence, and another dress was slung over the door. She frowned faintly, pulling it down and looking at it. Shrugging, she pulled it off the hanger and over her head. And stared. "Nice."

"So, what's he like?"

Sarah sighed, leaning against the wall of the changing room. "One part David Bowie, one part Shakespeare." She finally answered, straightening and pulling the dress off, throwing it over the door and pulling her clothes back on. "Okay, dress is good, let's get the brother, now."

Karen chuckled, shaking her head as Sarah joined her. "David Bowie and Shakespeare, Sarah? Honestly?"

"You'll see. Extremely handsome, very charming, and just a little nuts." Her step-mother laughed abruptly, and Sarah grinned, shrugging. "What can I say? You'll see tonight."

"I think it might be best if we don't mention to your father that he's a teacher. He'd have a heart attack."

Sarah nodded in agreement. "I think you're probably right." She giggled. "I'll see if I can get him to tone down his usual image." At the perplexed look from her mother, she shrugged helplessly. "You'll see tonight." Not really wanting to try to explain tight leather pants and leggings to her step-mother.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Sarah Williams would have been delighted to know at the same time she was pondering her closet, Jareth was pondering his own, to similar success. Rowland sat behind him, watching as garments were heaved over the sovereign's shoulder, expression torn between amusement and disgust. "This is ridiculous!" The older man raged, furious. "I am have more clothing than anyone else I know, Sarah included, and I have _nothing_ suitable?!"

"How about this one?"

Jareth turned, finding his brother holding up a orange leather leisure suit and shuddered. "That...no. Never. I thought I'd long since tossed that awful thing in the Bog."

Rowland eyed it curiously. "Aboveground fashion certainly has changed a bit, hasn't it?"

Jareth raked a hand through his hair. "You have no idea, Rowland, no idea. There is actually an up and coming singer who is a proponent for inner wear as outer wear. Shoulder pads on women's clothing are so obscenely large, they actually look like epaulets on armor, more than something that should adorn delicate shoulders." The man visibly shuddered.

The younger man hid his laughter behind a hand. "And your future Queen?" He barely managed to curb the mocking in his voice.

"Sarah has satisfactory taste in garments, which includes a lovely little white and blue corset with white leather pants." He smirked at the memory. "Just a hint of retro chic."

Rowland couldn't suppress his snort. His brother shot him a dirty look and he cleared his throat. "What look are you going for?"

A long moment of pondering went by. "'I'm not going to eat her', I suppose." He smirked in amusement.

"Should we go shave a sheep?"

Laughter bubbled from him. "Somehow, I think that would annoy her just a tad, and while she is lovely while irritated, I dare not do something so reckless."

"I was joking, Jareth."

He considered his brother for a long moment. "Good. Now give me a hand with this..."

"Have any fashion plates?" Rowland hopped up, avoiding the tall piles of clothing scattered around the massive room.

"I've essentially been making due with poet's shirts and suit vests." Jareth said a bit mockingly. "It's more comfortable than attempting something avant guarde. I am a teacher, you know?"

"Well, since you're bedding her, daddy clothing is out." A skeptical glance. "Not that you have any." Jareth smirked at the sarcasm dripping from the younger man's voice. "You don't want to be viewed a threat, so there goes everything black, red, and leather-"

"Not my leather!" Jareth snatched up a pair of brown leather pants, glaring at his brother. "You're not nixing my leather. Sarah _likes_ my leather."

Rowland rolled his eyes. "Minimal leather." He finally caved after a moment. "It might give them a warning that you're doing the daughter-" He raised his hands in defense when Jareth snarled at him. "What? You are!"

"It's an obscene way of speaking of it." Jareth chastised. He dug around his closet, locating a cream poet's shirt and gave it a hard shake, slimming down the sleeves and creating a button up front. It looked like a well tailored suit shirt. "And to point out, I'm not the only one doing anything in my bed. She's an active, if enthusiastic participant-"

"Way too much information." Rowland dug through for another moment, finding his brown leather long coat. He gave it a vigorous shake, trying to ignore the amused smirk on his brother's face. "You don't want to over do it, you'll look like you're trying too hard."

"I can't believe I'm taking clothing advice from my younger brother." Jareth muttered.

"Hey, you did this for me on _my_ first date. The least I can do is make sure you don't make a complete ass of yourself during the visual impression." He held up a trench coat, staring at it, obviously perplexed. "Weird clothing tastes down there, brother. Seriously. This thing is atrocious. I wouldn't be caught dead in it."

Jareth extended a hand. "Give it." He took the coat in both hands, shaking it hard. Biker jacket – too rebellious. He shook it again. Crap. Again. Nice, but not appropriate. Again. More crap. Again. Gold. He lifted the coat, arching an eyebrow. "With just a hint of rock and roll..." He murmured in amusement. "This will do."

"Yeah, yeah, try not to seduce her during the meal."

Jareth looked towards him, scandalized. "What's the fun in that?"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Sarah paced in her bedroom restlessly, glancing at the clock again and again. Her hair was up in a graceful twist, some stubborn wisps hanging around her neck and face. She wore ballet flats with her new chocolate brown sun dress. It had an attractive heart-shaped neckline, and the little pendant she wore hung down just low enough to attract attention. It had broad straps over her shoulder, and hung to the knee, which would keep her below her father's radar.

She looked in the mirror the fourteenth time since Karen had shooed her upstairs, checking her hair, her moderate make-up, her dress. Everything.

He was supposed to be there in five minutes.

She'd never been so petrified in her life.

It was actually funny. She'd been nervous about having sex with Jareth that first time, but that was nothing compared to this. Would they like him? Would _he_ like _them_? She had no idea. She knew Jareth seemed to hold a fondness for Toby, but his eyes always clouded when she spoke of her parents. Her father was going to have a coronary, because it's not like it wasn't obvious Jareth was a good bit older than her. Her step-mother was already uncertain, knowing he was a teacher.

She heard the doorbell ring and had to keep herself from running to answer the door. Karen's words rang through her. "Don't make it easy for him. If you break your neck to get the door, he'll think you were waiting for him." She heard Karen call her and took several deep breaths. As she headed down the stairs, she heard Jareth introducing himself to her parents and had to keep herself from squealing stupidly when she saw him.

His hair had been brushed back into a messy version of the pony tail he always wore while teaching classes. He was wrapped in a wine-colored blazer, and she could see a cream collar peaking out over it. And on his legs, were a pair of comfortably snug (as he called them) brown leather pants. As she descended the last few steps, Jareth turned towards her and her breath caught. Damn him for being beautiful. It just wasn't fair.

His lips turned up in that insufferable smirk, as if to tell her he knew exactly what she was thinking. He stepped towards her, taking her hand to help her down the last few steps. Closer now, she could see the faintest hint of black glitter on the shoulders of that blazer. Of course, he had to have it _somewhere_. She bit back a smirk of her own.

"I was just introducing myself to your family. You never told me you had a sister." He teased lightly.

Sarah watched Karen blush and bit back a grin. "This is my step-mother, Karen, Jareth." She said, glancing towards her father. He seemed tense, but wasn't obviously reaching for anything to poke her Goblin King with. "This is Robert, my dad." Suddenly, a roar came from above and Sarah managed to turn, catching the brother that lunged down at them before he did damage to anyone. The thirty-odd pounds of toddler hit her in the chest, knocking her flat on her ass. She groaned mentally, but continued regardless. "And this little monster is Toby."

Jareth looked down her, unable to keep the broad smirk off his face. Not trusting himself to speak, he offered her a hand to help herself up with, meeting Toby's furious glare with a mild look of amusement. "Pleasure to meet you, Toby." He would have offered his hand to the boy, but when he bared his teeth, he reconsidered.

"My Sarah!" Toby declared, winding his arms around Sarah's neck. "My sister! You can't have her."

Sarah groaned, hiding her face into her brother's hair. "Toby-" she began, but Jareth slipped in, smoothly.

"Believe me, Toby, your interest in Sarah and mine are quite different." He promised, giving the boy a broad smirk. Those words provoked blushes on Sarah and Karen, left a miffed-looking Robert, and a very confused Toby.

Toby eyed him in distrust. "You won't take Sarah to your castle?"

Everyone went very still and Jareth arched an eyebrow. He could feel the eyes of the boy's parents upon him and met Sarah's panicked, wide-eyed gaze. "No, Toby." Then, he leaned towards Sarah, whispering in her ear. "Not yet, anyways."

Sarah hid a blush and stroked Toby's back lightly. "While it's admirable you're trying to protect me, Jareth isn't going to hurt me." She said softly, hugging him. "Okay, squirt, down you go. It's time for-" As soon as his feet hit the ground, he pulled a face at Jareth and took off up the stairs. "Toby!"

Karen sighed. "Sarah, would you?"

She glanced towards Jareth, who was torn between amused and distraught. She caught his sleeve, pressing up and kissing him on the cheek before heading up after her brother. A glance behind her found Karen and Robert ushering Jareth towards the couch, where they'd inevitably pump him for information. Karen was likely warning him not to tell Robert exactly what he did at the school.

Sarah sighed, finding her brother in his room, face down on his bed. "Toby," she called, closing the door behind her. "Why don't you like Jareth?"

"He's got funny eyes. And weird hair. And he's too old for you! You shouldn't date him."

A small smile turned up around the corners of her mouth. "Weird eyes? Whatever do you mean?"

Toby did little curved pinching motions between the outside corners of his eyes and his brows. "Like make-up. It's weird."

Sarah paused. How could he see that? Jareth had used a glamour like he did in class, specifically so that they _wouldn't_ see that. "And why do you think he has a castle?"

"I don't know. It seems...like he should. He doesn't fit in with this kind of house." He looked towards her, his face troubled. "And he's hurt you before. I don't know how I know that either, but I know he did."

She sat beside him on the bed and hauled him onto her lap. "It's very sweet and very noble that you're worried about me, Toby." She said, hugging him to her chest. "You'd make quite a knight in a few years." She saw the way his eyes brightened and kissed his forehead lightly. "Can you try to like Jareth? He's not a bad guy, and believe me, I've met a few bad guys in school. Jareth saved me from one of them, he's been protecting me."

"He'd better be." The boy sulked, his expression twisted into a most petulant pout. "I still think his hair is weird."

"I like his weird hair," she said smiling, "and his weird eyes, his leather pants, and just about any other fault you'll find in him. Even his love of glitter and lip gloss."

Toby sighed, then nodded. "Okay, Sarah, if you really like him, I'll try to, too."

Sarah smiled broadly, lifting her brother in her arms, and carrying him down the stairs. "Thanks, kiddo." She said softly. When she entered the living room, she could see annoyance on her father's face and frowned slightly, looking towards Karen for information. She wasn't in the room. Jareth had a pleasant smile on his face, but she could see some of that darkness whirling in his eyes. "Everything okay?"

Robert's eyes flicked towards her. "Just fine, Sarah." It was a dismissal, and she could see that it caused Jareth's already high level of anger to raise further.

Sarah set Toby down. "Go see if you can help your mom." She said quietly. When she straightened, she fixed the two men with a glare. They visibly backed away from her. She waited until Toby was out of the room before speaking. "Look, I didn't expect you two in particular to get along. My dad and my first boyfriend meeting for the first time, obviously there will be problems..."

Jareth arched an eyebrow.

"However, if the pissing contest doesn't stop before dinner and I get indigestion because I'm too tense to digest my food properly, both of you are going to catch hell later." She turned on her heal, marching towards the kitchen. Before she could pass through the door, two leather-clad hands touched her bare arms gently, and she felt his face against her hair.

"Everyone seems to think I'm too old for you."

"Not everyone." She pointed out, glancing back at him and giving him the faintest smile. She glanced into the kitchen and found her brother looking at her, wearing a petulant frown again. She sighed softly, then pulled a face at her brother, sticking her tongue out.

The boy grudgingly giggled.

Dinner went as smoothly as can be expected. Jareth listened to the adult's conversation with passive interest, however his eyes came alight when she or Toby would speak. Multiple times, Karen told Toby to stop boring Jareth with his stories, but Jareth always waved if off and asked Toby to continue. She could understand why. Toby sometimes could say the most interesting things.

Toby glowed under the attention, and about half-way through the meal he leaned towards her. "I guess he's not terrible," the boy allowed, a little pleased that he was getting a great deal of Jareth's attention.

However, by the time dessert was served, she could see Jareth was growing weary. Her father had forced the man to sit across from her, next to Toby with Robert on his other side, leaving Karen on Sarah's other side. She couldn't hold his hand without it being in plain view, so with a glance under the table, she reached with her foot and caressed his ankle with the top of her toes. She watched his eyes sharpen and he glanced towards her.

'Are you okay,' she mouthed to him, trying to show him her concern.

A tiny smile turned up the corners of his lips. 'Well enough,' was his answer.

"Oh, oh!" Toby bounced in his seat. "Jareth! Do you believe in goblins?!"

Robert and Karen groaned softly, but Jareth's eyes sharpened. Sarah gulped slightly. "An interesting query, young Toby..." Jareth inclined his head, lips turned up in the faintest smile. "I suppose you do?"

"Yeah! They're really interesting! Sarah tells me about them all the time!"

She blushed when his gaze flicked towards her. "Does she, now?" There was that faintly mocking smile around the edges of his thin lips.

The boy's voice dropped to a whisper. "Did you know their king isn't a goblin?" He whispered, eyes wide.

"Really?" Jareth said, his voice a bit dry. "Why ever would the King of the Goblins not be a Goblin himself?"

"Sarah says it's because they're afraid of him, because he has _powers_."

Sarah would have quite happily melted under the table just to escape that amused, mocking smile."

"Toby, now really isn't the time for such stories." Robert said quietly. "Sarah, you should know better than to tell your brother stories like that-"

Jareth became rigid, turning slowly towards Robert. "Sarah is a young lady with a vivid imagination, and I do wish you would stop attempting to smother it. And as for Toby's stories...I like stories. They're interesting, and often times far more telling than what is generally discussed over a dinner table." His voice was mild, but Sarah could see the lightening flashing in them. Jareth took the last bit of his cake and stood slowly, pushing his chair back. "I hate to eat and run, but I have a rather long trip ahead of me."

Sarah jumped to her feet, chasing him as he strode towards the door. "Jareth, Jareth, please wait a minute..."

He halted just outside the front door, his face dark. "Men like him...are the reason that my job is so difficult, you realize? They take the imagination of a child and twist into something perverse, so a child is afraid that should they express themselves they will be rejected. They force children into molds of who and what they should be, and to hell with what it does to the child!"

She bit her lip, taking his hands gently. "I know. It's part of what made my mom leave. But I'm there to act as a buffer. Toby wont let go of his dreams. I wont let him. Whatever they become, I wont let Dad and Karen beat them back." She saw the frustration on his face and pressed up, kissing his lips gently, coaxing him to relax.

He moaned softly, wrapping his arms around her, playing with the rebellious strands of hair which hung around her neck. The kiss was just getting interesting when her father called her from inside and Jareth snarled in annoyance and frustration.

She giggled faintly, pulling back. "Don't start snarling, professor..." she said, dropping her voice low. "He's just posturing because I'm his only daughter."

"I've half a mind to go against my word to your brother and spirit you away to my castle right this instant. And not let you out of my chambers for several hours for anything save using the damn toilet."

She laughed outright, pressing up and gently kissing his pouting lips. "But you wont. You like Toby, and you don't want him to dislike you."

"Dammit all." He muttered, pulling her against his chest.

Robert called again, louder this time. "Sarah! Come on in before bugs get in-"

Using her foot, she kicked the door closed, still standing on the porch. She saw amusement in her lovers eyes and smirked. "Hey, I love my dad, but he's sticking his nose a bit too deep in our love life-" She realized what she said and bit her lip, blushing.

Jareth blinked, startled at her phrasing. "Sarah?"

She looked up, seeing something akin to hope in his eyes. She moistened her lips, glancing away. "I-"

He cupped her face, turning it up so he could see it. She'd been using phrases like that a lot lately. Love life, make love, etc. She hadn't said the words, but she was so flustered. He wanted to hear it so badly, but as embarrassed as she was, it could go terribly wrong. "Ah, Sarah-mine..." he breathed, resting his finger on her lips, tracing over them gently. "As much as I'd love to hear the words on your lips, I must implore you, if you are uncertain, afraid, anything else, do not speak them." He saw confusion in her eyes and smiled. "I am a patient man, Sarah. In my life and my profession, one must have a wealth of patience." He gestured vaguely. "Goblins and all that."

She giggled softly, wrapping her arms around him. She stood like that, holding him for what felt like forever. His hands were gently stroking her arms, and she wished he'd take those damn gloves off for a moment. "So, when do I go visit your family?"

"I'll come pick you up. You have my full permission to wear something more racy than this." He traced his fingers along the broad straps over her shoulders. "It's lovely, but it's also safe." He leaned over, bringing his lips near her ear, pleased when she shivered faintly. "Now, I seem to remember you owned a lovely little corset with white lace accents...and a few buckles."

She blushed. "I don't know if that's appropriate for meeting your family..." She pointed out. "I don't want to look like a..." her mind finally provided her with the word. "Trollop."

He laughed. "Very well, precious," he murmured. "However, you must promise to bring it in your carry on. You look devastatingly fetching in it, Love."

She blushed, lifting her lips to his ear. "I'll see what I can manage." She felt him shiver and smiled faintly, kissing the lobe of his ear lightly.

He felt a curious tug and swore softly. "I must go. Don't forget that delightful little corset, precious." He took a deep breath, then headed down the walk. As Sarah watched, he took one step, and when it fell, he was gone, only the faintest shower of smoke and glitter in his wake.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

_AN: Another chapter gone. Naturally, next chapter is Sarah's trip to the Underground, which will likely be vastly entertaining. At least for his Nibs. A resounding thank you to magialuna and ainaak ka-lyrra, for putting this story onto their C2's. Much appreciated. Thanks to everyone for their reviews, and favorites. I'm glad everyone is enjoying it._

_Jareth: Wait a bloody minute! She was about to confess-_

_Yes, she was, and yes, you stopped her. She's not going to say it yet. Patience, puppy._

_Jareth: Contrary to what you had me say a few moments ago, I'm _not_ patient!_

_Tough, you'll have to wait, regardless. Nyaa nyaa! Ack! Don't kill me! Then it'll never get written!_


	8. Chapter 8

_AN: Anyways, in response to the reviews I've been getting: Yes, I've read GND. While I've read a few pages of Roommates, I find myself enjoying the life of the girls, with Jareth as slightly crazy stalker, always using his crystals to peep on girls in the bath._

_Disclaimer: None of the Labyrinth issues are the property of the Jim Henson Co. Any other resemblances to other characters/series are simply the result of me being really bad at thinking of names..._

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The Devil Does Exist

By: DemonSaya

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"You're bringing her _here_?!" Rowland's cry was punctuated with outrage. "_Today_?!"

Jareth mildly looked towards his brother, arching an eyebrow. "Yes, for the third time, Sarah is coming here _today._ Not tomorrow, not the day after, and next week would be immensely difficult as she'll be in school once again." He smiled with faint anticipation.

Rowland glared at him, a petulant expression on his face. "I don't want her here."

"Her father had rather the same opinion of me." He said, his face amused. "Then again, they probably guessed my age at near forty in mortal years." He gave his younger brother a mild look. "Which I presume is far older than they'd prefer for their eighteen year old daughter."

The younger man sputtered. "Eighteen! Jareth, you cradle robber!"

Jareth smiled broadly, his eyes bright with amusement. "Yes, that was rather the sentiment of her parents. No matter that we are, in fact, consenting adults."

Rowland looked torn between amusement at his older brother's plight and disgust. "How can eighteen be an adult!? She's barely lived long enough to develop breasts-"

"You'd be surprised." He said wryly. "Her breasts were just fine three years ago." He watched the cringe of disgust that covered the younger man's face and laughed at him. "Abovelanders age differently than we, brother. By eighteen, women are considered old enough to do most things. Ages past, twelve was considered an acceptable marriageable age."

"Uh, ick."

Jareth chuckled. "Old boy, if Sarah had consented three years ago, she would have been in my bed before the night was out-"

"Double ick. No offense, Jareth, I don't want to think about you doing it with your human."

"Still so offensive," Jareth murmured. He sighed, turning and looking at his brother's face. So petulant and pouting. "I can't make you like her, Rowland. I only ask you give her an honest chance, and keep in mind that I don't really care if you dislike her."

The petulant look changed to shock. "Wait, then why bother having me meet her?!"

A patient, mild-mannered smile turned up his lips. "Because, it is easier if you _do_ like her. Even a little. She will be a part of your family if I get my way."

"Jareth, I don't like mortals, they're ill-mannered, ill-tempered creatures deprived of most of their creativity."

"An honest chance, or I'll Bog you." Jareth said, his voice suddenly cool. "While she is here, you will not mention her mortal heritage or make her feel unwelcome. You will join us for dinner, or so help me, when I leave on vacation, I'll leave Hoggle in charge rather than you."

Rowland stared at him, dumbstruck. "That..._dwarf_ over your brother?!"

Jareth sighed softly. Ah yes, and his brother's infinite prejudice strikes again. "Yes, I would. Because that dwarf is loyal to Sarah. He will not send the goblins to cause her mischief. You, I'm not so certain."

Rowland scowled. "When is she arriving?"

"I intend to pick her up..." He glanced at the clock on the wall and smiled faintly. "Now." He stood and waving his hand, wore a slightly more dangerous and edgy variation on what he wore two nights ago at the dinner with her family. "Get your attitude in order, I'll return soon."

When the older of the two men was gone, Rowland scowled in a petulant manner. "Not bloody likely."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Sarah packed her overnight bag, slipping in the corset Jareth liked so much. She was all nervous twitters again, for the second time in two days. She'd explained to her father that it was a rather long trip where she was going (not a lie), and he'd tried to tell her to catch a cab on the way home. She not quite patiently told her father to keep his nose in his own bedroom and gave Toby and Karen a kiss on the cheek before heading out on foot.

They'd arranged to meet at the park where she'd always done her play-acting as a girl. Their first true meeting place, she thought fondly. She'd found his suggestion sweet and romantic and agreed on the spot. She leaned against the light pole looking around, her expression warm.

The wind kissed her face, and then, she caught a whiff of his scent and realized it wasn't the wind at all. His arms came around her and she felt his face press against her shoulder. She smiled, relaxing into his grip. "Jareth."

"Hello, precious." He said. "All ready?"

She turned, smiling at him. "My dad went ballistic." She said quietly. With a sigh, she slumped against his chest, putting her arms around his waist. "I really needed to get away for a day. Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet, precious. My brother is not particularly fond of mortals, especially mortal women. I'll grant that his prejudice is not unfounded, however, he has been trying on my patience this past day as well." He bumped her nose gently with his own. "Really, he isn't fond of anything unlike himself."

She smiled thinly. "Is that your way of warning me that I may have to duck during dinner?"

His smile was equally as thin and held no amusement. "It's my way of saying that if he doesn't calm before dinner, you may be getting a food taster before you're allowed to touch your food."

She blinked in confusion.

He sighed softly, wrapping his arms snuggly around her waist. "Remember when you gave me food poisoning?" At her nod, he smiled again. "Poisoned food is not an uncommon occurrence in the underground." He saw her eyes widen and he stroked her lower lip gently. "Come along, precious. Let us get the formalities over with so we might spend the evening in my chambers."

She looked at him, her eyes bright with some amusement. She pressed up on her toes, bringing her lips to his ear. "Do I get to seduce you tonight?"

She felt the shiver work through him and watched as his eyes glazed over. "Darling, once we're behind closed doors, you may do whatever you wish to me." She felt his arms tighten a fraction and suddenly the park was gone and they were standing at the entrance of the castle. She felt a moment of disorientation, during which, Jareth released her slowly.

She looked up at the mammoth structure, curious and eyes bright with interest. Jareth passed her, moving towards the door, but she simply stared up at the spired towers and turrets. She heard the doors open, but hesitated to move. Last time, she really hadn't taken the time to notice much past where to turn to find her brother.

"Precious? What's wrong?"

Her throat almost closed at the concern in his voice. She looked at him, really looked at him, seeing that the disguise was gone. Like when they were alone together. This is his home, not her world. He would never belong to that world. This is where he belonged. In a castle torn between nightmare and fairytale. "I never noticed before...how much this place suits you." She said softly.

He tensed, turning towards her. "Precious?"

She moved towards him, gently taking his hand in both of hers. "Let's go have dinner, Jareth." She said, smiling at him."

He eyed her clothing. "You're wearing that?" He sounded almost disappointed.

She blushed. "I don't have anything appropriate in my closet. I was hoping you could help with that." She watched his eyes light up and wondered if he hadn't been hoping that she would let him play dress up with her anyways. "No puffy silver dresses?" She asked, seeing him smile darkly.

"Darling, while that was appropriate for your youthful innocence and girlish fantasies, I think you're ready for something a tad more...grown up." He drew her into the castle, a wicked smirk on his lips.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Tad wasn't exactly an understatement.

Sarah stared in the mirror, running her hands lightly over the soft skirt. It hugged her torso as though it had been made specifically for her. Midnight blue silk with shots of silver, gold, and metallic blue threads shot through the bodice weaving intricate designs. Small, black lace cap sleeves adorned her shoulders. Black silk cords wove together, holding the bodice tight against her skin. Black and blue skirts flowed around her.

It was a dress fit for a queen, not a silly mortal girl.

He'd dropped her off to dress, explaining that helping her, he'd inevitably end up ravishing her and then they'd never make it to dinner. She'd pouted, pulling a laugh from him, even as he kissed her. He'd left her in that huge bedroom. It wasn't his. The furniture was wrong, the colors were wrong. She'd seen his taste in furnishings at his apartment, and this did not match. These furnishings...

She swallowed hard. This was a room designed for a woman. The wardrobe was full of women's clothing. Jewels, make-up and fragrance scattered the vanity. A room intended for his Queen. The thought caused a surge of possessive jealousy to run through her. She tramped it back, knowing that it really wasn't fair to him. He could not have known he would ever see her again, just as she never expected to see him. He was a King, and King's must eventually marry and produce an heir.

There was an abrupt knock on her door and she turned, expecting to find Jareth. What she found in his stead was a petulant teenager with bright blue eyes and white, spiky hair. The boy looked at her, then started backing out of the room. "Sorry, wrong room, was trying to find Jareth's mortal wench-I mean woman."

She smiled, finding the boy's embarrassment almost endearing. She wiped the smile from her lips with her hand and did a curtsy. "I'd be the mortal wench." She said, smirking in amusement. She glanced in the mirror, checking her appearance. Jareth would have to deal, she wasn't putting her hair up, teasing it or curling it. She glanced back, noting the boy was looking at her, stunned. "What? Did you expect a vapid, twittering blond?"

A grudging grin turned up the corners of his lips. "My brother is indisposed at the moment. He suggested I give you a tour of the castle."

Sarah examined him closely for a long moment. Yes, that same feathery hair, the blue eyes the same, but no markings around his eyes. "Why are you wearing a glamor?" She asked calmly.

He blinked, startled. "Ah...what do you mean?"

She pointed at his eyes. "No markings. I know they're not make-up." She moved towards the door. She paused when she heard him mutter the phrase 'know-it-all'. She turned towards him fully, looking him dead in the eye. There was so much resentment, so much anger in those eyes that she almost faltered. Then, a thought raced through her.

This person who stood before her was a child. A spoiled little prince, much like Jareth was a spoiled king. A impetuous youth, who was lashing out at her for reasons unknown. Knowing that made this easier.

"You don't have to like me." She said calmly. "My father didn't approve of Jareth, my mother isn't certain what to think, and I had to convince my brother that he was okay. I don't expect acceptance. I'm different, I'm foreign, I'm in the way, whatever your reason, I know that right now you don't. I only have one request. Don't upset Jareth. Imagine how he will feel, knowing. For his sake, pretend."

He stared at her, eyes wide and startled. Sarah met that gaze, unperturbed. "How...do you know that?"

She smiled broadly. "I have a little brother, too." She pointed out, stepping from the room and glancing around. "A tour, huh? That doesn't sound like a bad idea. Last time I was here, I was a little preoccupied to notice the scenery..."

"Under my brother."

The mumbled response caused a laugh to escape her. "As if. I was a runner. I wished away my baby brother and your brother, who so kindly stole three from my thirteen hours, decided to play hide and seek when I'd nearly reached Toby..." She lowered her gaze, feeling sad and uncomfortable. "I shouldn't speak of it." She said quietly. It brought up uncomfortable thoughts. Like the pained expression that Jareth had worn as she'd rejected his offer.

"ROWLAND!"

The erupting roar pulled her quickly from her thoughts and she turned finding Jareth striding towards them, his hand fisted around something silk and very pink. She choked. Was that one of his shirts?! She watched Rowland's face turn to an indifferent mask but she could have sworn she saw the faintest amusement in his eyes. "Yes, dear brother?"

Jareth's eyes fell on Sarah and he faltered. She watched his furious face melt away and turn into something that she could only describe as awe. She felt her heart threaten to choke her as he stared at her, his steps slowing until he stopped directly in front of her. The hallway became oddly silent, until a little goblin voice piped up.

"Did he kill 'im yet?"

That seemed to remind him what set him off in the first place. Jareth cleared his throat, flickering his gaze towards his brother. "Rowland...why, pray tell did a red shirt wind up in my whites?"

Sarah saw mirth fill his brother's eyes and dropped her head in her hand. "I don't have the faintest idea, brother. Perhaps it was one of the goblins?"

"The goblins wouldn't dare." Jareth's voice was deadly.

Rowland huffed, offering a hand. "It's not like it can't be fixed." He snatched the shirt, gave it a shake or two and the red flapped off in a fine pink mist. Right in the face of the Goblin King.

Sarah quickly stepped between the brothers, pulling Jareth's now very red face so he was looking at her. There was so much anger and frustration in his eyes, she sighed. "I'll make a deal with the two of you? Truce? I'll clean up your face and you both can show me around the castle."

Jareth stared down at her and the anger bled into something softer. "Very well, Precious." He glared over her head and then put his arm around her. "Don't think you're going to get away with this one, young man."

Sarah saw Rowland grimace and smiled faintly. "You never know, Jareth. Pink could be a good color on you."

He scowled at her as well.

Despite the rather dismal start to the evening, dinner went well. Rowland had warmed towards her, albeit slowly, but by the end of dinner, he wasn't glaring at her whenever he thought she wasn't looking. Jareth walked with her along the hallways, giving her a stirring kiss directly in front of his brother, which pulled a very amusing 'Ew gross ' from the boy.

Once inside the room, Sarah found it was lit by candle lights, and realized once again, that she was very right. The other room did not suit the Goblin King. That realization doused her with ice water. "Jareth..." She said softly.

He had been busy removing his jacket finished, then turned towards her. "Yes, Precious?"

"That other room...the one you let me dress in..."

He went very still suddenly. His eyes locked with hers. "Sarah-"

"Who is that room intended for?" She had to ask. She had to know. She realized she could very well be killing what had started between them, but she couldn't continue this affair knowing that one day that room would have some other woman inside it, dressing for a dinner like this.

Jareth moved towards her slowly, his hands coming to rest lightly upon her arms. His face was an expression of anguish. "For the woman I intend to make my Queen." His voice was so gentle, so soft, as though he were trying to soften the words so no one would be hurt.

Pain surged through her and she backed away from him a bit. She saw anguish on his face and he reached for her again, but she stepped from his reach. Then, that anguish became rage.

"What do you want from me, Sarah?!" He snapped, striding towards her and trapping her against the closed door. "I've done everything you wished. I did not attempt to harm you once, I allowed you to seduce me when you decided you wanted me. I did not force you into this, and now you want to walk away?! No, Sarah! Not now, not ever again!" He gripped her face hard and leaned forward, kissing her furiously.

Sarah pushed at him, but his lips were moving skillfully against hers and she found herself falling. Tears filled her eyes and they began falling down her face. She didn't kiss him back, she remained passive against the door, pain still running through her. His hands weren't gentle as they normally were. They clung to her as though to prevent her escape. His lips moved over hers, possessive, possessing. Then, as the kiss continued, it became pleading, tender, his hands running gently over her skin.

More like a lover. More like he loved her.

Then, after the long, mind-numbing kiss, he released her mouth, his eyes opening and staring down at her, so full of hurt, an echo of the expression he'd worn looking into that little crystal. "Don't leave me, Love. Don't walk away from me now..."

That word again. She felt her heart twist again and she looked away from him. Her hands were fisted in his shirt, the soft silk reminding her of the feel of his hair. "Jareth-"

"I will beg you if you wish it. I will get down on my knees and kiss your feet. Whatever I must do." He pressed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. "I am yours, Precious. I will never belong to another. You are all I've ever wanted, all I longed for."

She felt sobs rise in her chest and she tried to look away from him, but his hands held her face still.

"I love you, Sarah." He breathed. "My love, my darling, my Queen. Sovereign ruler of my heart." Her eyes snapped towards him and she saw the pain on his face, the fear. The love. Oh, god, he just said he loved her. He called her his Queen...That room...

Oh, god, that room was hers!

She threw her arms around his neck, attacking his lips with hers. His arms closed around her immediately, even as he staggered backwards. The room, the dress, bringing her here to meet his brother, meeting her family, tolerating her father's attitude. The pictures, the extortion, the lessons with the crystal. Everything was for her. Everything was because he loved her.

'_Love me, fear me, do as I say and I...'_

She pulled back, staring down into his face, seeing the pain and fear had melted into a heartbreaking hope, a trust that shook her soul.

_'I will be your slave.'_

She caressed his face gently, staring down at him as though it was the first time she'd ever seen him. "Oh, Jareth..." She breathed, leaning down and kissing him slowly, pouring her feelings into that kiss. She felt his hands clench reflexively through the fabric of her dress and sighed softly. "You...promised I could seduce you tonight..." She breathed.

He moaned, looking up at her. "I should tie you down for scaring the liver out of me." He taunted.

"You did that last time..." She smiled wildly, her heart pounding hard in her chest. "This time...it's my turn."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

_AN: Yup short and sweet this time. There might be one or maybe two chapters after this. I'm not sure. I wasn't planning on Jareth's confession coming now. LOL Sometimes, they surprise me. Anyways, things to look forward to next chapter_

_-Sarah and Jareth's mini-vacation together_

_-Sarah returning to school_

_-The trouble left behind (Uh oh...)_

_Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter! This will likely be the last one until I'm into the new house (We move in Friday the 27th). C&C welcome! Hope everyone enjoyed._

_Jareth: You did it...AGAIN._

_...Yes, I know, you're getting testy about lack of on-screen action._

_Jareth: I'm going to influence your art again, you realize._

_Good idea. It might help inspire me for next chapter, too If you're wondering about the picture Jareth directed me on which inspired this chapter of 'Devil', it can be found here: .com/art/Seducing-Jareth-113386124_


	9. Chapter 9

_AN: Anyways, in response to the reviews I've been getting: Yes, I've read GND. While I've read a few pages of Roommates, I find myself enjoying the life of the girls, with Jareth as slightly crazy stalker, always using his crystals to peep on girls in the bath._

_Disclaimer: None of the Labyrinth issues are the property of the Jim Henson Co. Any other resemblances to other characters/series are simply the result of me being really bad at thinking of names..._

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The Devil Does Exist

By: DemonSaya

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She didn't tell anyone how meeting his family went. Not even Toby. She just gave them a mysterious smile and went about whatever she was doing.

Toby had a blast on his birthday, especially with the giant foam sword Sarah had given him. He proceeded to aggravate everyone else in the house by coming up behind them and whacking them wherever his small, 4-year-old body could reach. Wisely, Sarah remained standing, only being battered around her stomach and never higher than her shoulders.

The next day, Karen whisked her off to the hospital, where Sarah submitted to a pregnancy test, and well-woman physical. She was told her results would be ready and mailed to her in a week, and they both decided this was a visit her father didn't need to know about. That night, Sarah packed her things, and called a cab to pick her up in the morning.

She left before the sun was up. She peeked into Toby's room, telling him goodbye and left a note on the table for her dad and Karen. She dozed lightly in the taxi, her lips turned in a contented smile.

The taxi dropped her off at her apartment, and she wisely knocked before entering. Quietly, she moved about, unpacking her belongings and then headed out again, locking the door behind her. She walked along, hands tucked deep into her pants, scarf around her neck. It was funny, she was looking at everything with a whole new set of eyes since what he'd told her. In her excitement and exhilaration, she'd completely forgotten to respond back, although she did seduce his pants off moments after his confession.

She felt her cheeks warm slightly and she hugged herself, smiling. Words could not describe the things he made her feel. Fearful yet excited, fierce and gentle. Like she wanted to jump him but at the same time, she just wanted his arms around her, holding her.

She was surprised that Jareth had submitted to her so completely that night. He allowed her to lead their activities for the whole of the evening, down to the shared bath in his huge tub. He did not push her to tell him her own feelings, he seemed...content, as long as she wasn't running away from him. He'd even seemed to take her jealousy as a good sign. She supposed it was. It was a sure sign that she didn't want anyone else with him for a _long_ time.

On her way, she picked up some groceries, having renewed her pocket book, care of her father. She hummed, waving at the clerk as she left, heading towards her destination. She entered the apartment, smiling and calling out, "hey, Honey, I'm home!" There was no response, but she wasn't expecting one.

She hummed, putting the groceries away, trying to decide what to cook that evening. She didn't want a repeat of the last time, so she decided on something simple. She pulled out the necessary ingredients, whipping together a treat for her lover. She set the food on the table, setting candles around the room, humming to herself. She turned on some classical music, something she found herself developing a taste for after spending so much time around his Nibs.

She heard a key scrape in the door and wondered for the eight millionth time why he didn't just poof into his own apartment. She was thankful, however for the extra second to whip the apron from around her and toss it onto the kitchen hook, moving into the dining room and shooting him a winning smile when he looked up, eyes wide and surprised.

"Sarah..." He gave a small grin. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" He came forward, eying the table warily, before taking her hands and kissing the backs of each. "You cooked?"

His mild inquiry spiked her temper a bit. "I only gave you food poisoning that one time, Jareth," she muttered, feeling a bit put out as he shoved a pin into her self-confidence.

He smiled faintly, inclining his head. "I can't say I'd altogether mind if you did it again. You playing nursemaid for me is a rather fond memory of mine."

She smiled grudgingly at his tease and she nudged him with her shoulder. "Mine too," she admitted, shyly. She saw pleasure light his eyes up and she leaned forward, gently kissing his lips. "Welcome back." She blushed as his arms went around her and she couldn't resist the urge to bury her nose against his shirt and breath in his smell deeply.

She felt him grin against her hair. "Sarah-mine, did you just sniff me?"

"You smell good," she mumbled. "Indescribable, but good." It was with great reluctance that she drew away from him, resting her hands on his hips. "We should eat..."

"You plan on eating as well? What happened to 'I don't eat what I cook'?" He tapped her nose lightly.

She blushed and batted at his hand. "I tasted it before I put it on the table. It's something simple, so it's not too bad." She glanced up at him shyly.

He was smiling down at her, and he leaned down, kissing her. As he straightened. "Well, at least if you give me food poisoning again, I wont be alone in my misery." His tease sent another surge of irritation racing through her and she batted his chest half-heartedly.

They sat down to eat and Sarah tried to distract herself by thinking about her classes, about anything, but Jareth kept drawing her back to him. She was embarrassed that while the food was okay, it wasn't great, and she found she couldn't continue eating after half of the meal was gone. Anxiety gnawed at the pit of her stomach and she opened her mouth several times to tell him that she loved him, but in her head, it always sounded awkward and not quite right. Not as beautiful as his own confession had been.

She watched him eat the food she'd made, and she wondered why she never realized before. He was a King. If food was not to his specifications, his tastes, he would probably have the cook tossed into either the Bog or an oubliette. Somehow, after her meal at his castle, which was delectable, she seriously doubted that his tastes ran along the lines of overcooked beef, or anything else she'd put on his plate. Yet, there he sat, eating it without complaint, and she realized that everything she'd ever made him before, he'd cleaned the plate. Even the night she'd given him food poisoning.

Tears filled her eyes and she quickly lowered her gaze. _Don't_ start crying, you git, she thought, discreetly lifting a hand and dashing the tears away. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She stood, moving towards him, catching his hands as he lifted another bite to his mouth. "You...don't have to...I know it's not good, please don't-" Her voice cracked and she lifted her gaze, seeing surprise in his eyes. Her lower lip trembled. "I should have just ordered something, I know I'm not a good cook..."

He slowly set the knife and fork down, catching her wrists and pulling her into his lap. He wrapped his arms about her, one hand holding her head against his shoulder. "Precious, no one starts out great at something. You should know this. Every skill takes practice, remember? You came here this evening, with the intention of bestowing me with a romantic evening. You gave your time to fix food for me. That is a gift that I intend on enjoying fully." He caught her chin, tilting it up and smiling down at her.

Tears filled her eyes and she threw her arms around his neck. "It's not fair. You were supposed to be a jerk, when you came here. You weren't supposed to be charming, you weren't supposed to be nice to me, you weren't supposed to help me study and give me crystal lessons..."

"Wasn't I? How else was I to get you to fall in love with me, then?"

She sniffled, unable to look at him. "Aren't you taking a lot for granted? What makes you think I'm falling in love with you?"

His lips came close to her ear and he sighed, which caused a shiver to run through her. "So determined to be contrary, aren't you? Very well, precious, I'll tell you the basis by which I draw my hypothesis." He wrapped his arms tighter around her. "I don't think you ever really hated me. I was a villain, but I did not harm you in any way. When I returned, I think you wrapped that idea around yourself, using it to protect yourself."

She blushed, unable to look at him. How could he know that, she wondered.

"I extorted you, but I did not ask for anything outside of your time and skills. While the idea of you in my bed was delightful, and it would not be the first time I was able to use my position to attain my desires, had I done so with you, I would have simply been confirming that I was a villain and nothing more." He sighed again, stroking her hair gently. "I allowed you to see me at my most vulnerable and when you came to me, I let you see how I could make you feel." He smirked slightly. "And from the responses I've received, I please you as a lover at the very least..."

His other hand, still encased in leather lightly touched her back beneath her shirt, trailing up her spine a bit. She bit her lip, a throaty sound squeaking out of her mouth. She felt him smirk against the side of her face.

"The most telling sign, however, was having me meet your family." He placed his hands on her shoulders, pushing her back a bit, looking at her. Her face was so red, her eyes were so shy. "Was it the first time you've brought a boy home, Sarah-mine?" He prodded gently.

She nodded. She was so mortified. Was he trying to pry a confession out of her?! If he already knew how she felt, what was the point in saying it? She saw understanding and pleasure in his eyes and flushed darker, hiding her face.

"That says you're serious about this relationship, darling. Even if you don't know you love me yet – even if you can't say it – you're serious." He said with a smile. "That's enough for me."

She squeezed her eyes shut, burrowing into his chest as he pulled her close. They sat there in silence, Sarah listening to him continue eating what she'd made. "You really don't have to, you know?"

He chuckled against her hair, then she felt his lips graze her temple. "I know, precious." He said softly.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Sarah didn't leave his apartment for the next three days. On the fourth day, groceries were dwindling, so before her lover got out of bed, she rose, heading out. She frowned, noting there were quite a few more reporters hanging around the campus. With a shrug, she purchased her groceries. While standing at the counter, she caught sight of the local paper and she paled several shades.

It was emblazoned with a picture of she and Jareth in his classroom. She slipped the paper amongst her groceries, purchasing that as well and hurried back to his apartment. There was only one reason for them to have that picture. Either Marc had sold them out for a quick buck, disregarding the agreement, or the investigator got greedy.

Upon arriving at the apartment, she found it swarmed with reporters, and she walked briskly between them. The guard opened the door, ushering her in. She flinched as the camera's flashed and hurried towards the elevator. Well, this wasn't exactly how or when she wanted the world to find out about her affair with her professor. She saw several people sticking their heads out of their doors and heard several whispers, even as she let herself into his apartment.

She arrived to find Jareth standing by the window, looking down. The television was turned towards the news, which he always watched. That same picture, as well as several others, of him walking her home, were displayed for the world to see. Even one of his fingers slipped into the back of her corset, pulling her against him at that first party.

She locked the door behind her, setting the bags on the counter. She put them away in silence, then turned towards her King. He hadn't spoken since she'd entered the apartment, and she could see each word of those on the television were slamming into him like physical blows. Words like 'pedophile', 'abuse of power', and the like were repeated several times. Even more frequent were the comments that he was a 'sicko', 'manipulative' and finally, she couldn't take it any more. She turned off the TV.

The silence was deafening.

He turned towards her, his eyes dark. "Sarah, you should go home."

Silently, she shook her head. "No."

"Please, don't be stubborn about this-"

"I'm not leaving you to deal with this alone. I'm the one who seduced you, and they're making you sound like a monster!" She grabbed his shirt in her hands, pushing him against the window. "I'm not going to leave you," she whispered – promised. "You need me right now."

His expression melted and she saw the anguish in his eyes. He didn't tell her to leave again. Instead, he wrapped his arms tightly around her, pressing his face into her shoulder. "They will not leave us alone, you know this, correct?" He squeezed her, seeming to her that he was unable to release her. "They'll paint you with the same brush they do me."

"I don't care." She hugged him tightly, and smiled softly. She closed her eyes, even as she heard the phone ring. "Let it be for now?" She whispered.

"It's likely the Dean of Students." He said softly.

"It could also be a newspaper or other paparazzi who wants to get the scoop before someone else." She pulled back and caressed his face. "I wont let them keep hurting you." She whispered fiercely.

He smiled warmly down at her. "Precious thing, you're too noble for your own good." He gently lifted her into his arms, carrying her away from the windows, setting her down on the kitchen counter. "For the time being, this is interesting. It's a scandal. Soon, they'll lose interest in our little love affair."

"So we lay low until they do?" She gripped his hands tightly. "Jareth, school starts next week. The chances of a story big enough to distract them coming along-"

He quieted her by kissing her lips and she sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck, even as she felt his hands slip beneath her shirt, leather trailing across her skin.

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Jareth was surprised and rather irritated to find himself alone the next morning. A glance out his window found the reporters still there. She'd just purchased groceries the day before, so why in the Above was she risking a trip out where someone could besiege her with questions she ought to not have to answer. With a sigh, he flipped through the channels on the television, avoiding the news like the plague.

He would never admit it, however the words he'd heard yesterday regarding his relationship with Sarah – a relationship they didn't know the whole story behind – had cut him.

Sarah had seen. Somehow, this woman who was still mostly a girl had seen the pain that he'd sought to hide from her. She'd seen it and it had infuriated her. She'd gone as far as to make him promise to not watch the news until this whole thing blew over. Her frustration with the rest of her world warmed his heart, and he'd curled around her, pulling her in tight against his chest, holding her as they'd slowly drifted off together. How she'd managed to squirm out of his tight grip without waking him he couldn't even fathom.

He sighed, finally turning off the television and wandering towards the window once again. He cracked the blinds, looking out over the throngs of reporters, his wild hair free, his eyes feral. They were taking away his time with his lady and he did not appreciate this. He waved a hand, calling in a crystal. Peering within it, he found Sarah pouring over books in the library.

She had the most adorable face when she was studying. Her brows scrunched together and her teeth constantly worried her lips. Her hand tapped her pen against her notebook, as though agitated. Her hair was pulled back into a messy pony tail. He could call her, he could have her return to his side.

However, he could not keep her from her schoolwork. He hoped it was her schoolwork. Who in the Above or Underground knew what she did when she was away, and even with his adept skills at viewing her, he couldn't make out the words she wrote on the paper, couldn't make out the text in the book.

Such a pity.

He waved a hand and the crystal disappeared. He returned to his pacing.

Briefly, he considered popping in and checking on Rowland, who had replied haltingly as he'd left this time that he didn't mind if Sarah came back again. Jareth was most certain he enjoyed the fact that she could get under the skin of the Goblin King.

With a sigh, he moved into the kitchen, frying up an egg with relative ease. After so many nights, with Sarah in his arms, he dreaded the knowledge that come Sunday evening, she'd be returning to her own room at night. It was a depressing thought. Even more depressing was the knowledge that eventually he'd leave the Above, and while he knew she was more than willing to visit, he wasn't so certain she'd wish to stay there with him. She would be sacrificing everything and gaining very little.

He ate his meager breakfast, setting his dishes in the sink. He'd wandered over to the couch again, preparing to see if the television choices had improved when the phone rang shrilly. He lifted it off the cradle and took a steadying breath. "Jareth King."

"Professor King, this is Mr. Mallard."

"The Dean. To what do I owe the pleasure." He managed to keep his voice calm and steady. He wasn't really certain how.

"I'm quite certain you know why I'm calling, Professor."

Jareth sighed softly, leaning against the wall. "Yes, I suppose I do."

"I'm afraid pending further investigation into this matter, I'm going to have to suspend you from teaching. I'll see to it that a suitable replacement is found."

It appeared he'd be leaving sooner than he thought. "I see." He said quietly. "If that is what you must do."

"I must."

"Very well, sir. Have a lovely day." He hung up the phone, feeling suddenly brittle. He leaned his head back, closing his eyes and sighing softly. "Ah, Sarah-mine...come back soon..."

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Upon arriving at Jareth's apartment, she found herself besieged by reporters. "Pardon me, Miss, by any chance do you know Professor Jareth King?"

She swallowed hard, trying to ignore them. "Please just let me past."

"That's her!" A voice cried and she turned, finding Marc standing there, pointing at her. "She's the one having an affair with the teacher! Sarah Williams!"

Her jaw clenched and she turned towards him. "So you were the one who sent in that picture."

He laughed. "Of course not. I've held up my end of the bargain. Since you haven't left him yet, I presume you have no intention to!"

She was being crowded by the reporters, who were snapping pictures and talking wildly into their cameras. Finally, she shouted. "SHUT UP!"

Everyone went quiet.

She took a steadying breath. "You bastards...keep whispering things like pedophile, like monster. You have no idea who Jareth is, or who I am for that matter. I've known him for three years. He's never hurt me, never even tried to. He didn't force me into this relationship with him. I seduced _him_." She turned on a heal, walking into the building, seething. How _dare _they?!

She opened the door and found Jareth sitting on the couch, his shoulders slightly slumped. Concern instantly spiked and she moved towards him, sitting at his side. "Jareth?"

He didn't speak. He simply turned towards her, resting his head on her shoulder and wrapping his arms around her waist.

Her worry only grew at his lack of response. "Jareth, what's wrong? Please, talk to me?"

He sighed softly against her ear, stirring her hair. "It's nothing, darling. Please just let me hold you." He pulled her against his chest her head beneath his chin, his arms tightly around her.

She squirmed a bit, trying to put her arms around him, but he must have thought she was trying to get free. His grip tightened almost painfully. She grunted and he eased up on the embrace. She wormed her arms around beneath his, hugging him gently. She felt him nuzzle her head with his chin and smiled faintly. "It's okay, Jareth. It'll all be okay."

His grip tightened a bit again and she snuggled deeper into his chest, breathing his warm smell. Slowly, she found herself drifting off to sleep.

Sunday night finally came and Jareth glitter poofed them into her apartment, where she gave him a warm kiss, telling him she'd see him the following day. She didn't understand the expression of pain on his face as he left, nor the unease which it caused her.

Monday, the school was still bustling with reporters, who often attempted to lay siege on her, trying to catch her off guard. Fortunately, Elizabeth and Christine flanked her wherever she went, making ignoring the crushing claustrophobic sensation easier. She ignored the speculative looks students and teachers alike were giving her. Several times she caught the phrase 'Stockholm Syndrome'.

She hoped Jareth had taken his customary day of rest. He had an oddly delicate heart, it was something she'd never expected from him. She wasn't sure he would be able to simply sit through the insinuations, the comments, the overall rudeness. His temper would snap and he'd lash out at someone. She just knew it.

The following day, it was worse. She sat in Jareth's class, hearing whispers going around the whole room. Marc was wearing a superior smirk which made her want to hit him. Maybe later.

Class started, and it came as a nasty shock when a prim looking woman walked in, giving her a look of intense disapproval. "Class, I'm Mrs. Morton. Due to the...problems with the last professor, I will be filling his space for the duration of the-"

Sarah's chair clattered to the floor as she stood up. "Where's Professor King?!"

A sneer. "Professor King has been suspended pending the investigation of his use of power to get the young female students into his bed, Miss _Williams_."

Sarah felt her hands fist on the desk. "Dammit, you idiot...why didn't you tell me?" She whispered, grabbing her books and stuffing them into her bag. She started walking towards the door once it was packed.

"Where do you think you're going?!" The new professor sputtered.

She turned at the door. "Obviously, I'm leaving. I'm not going to let Jareth pay for my own actions." She threw the door open and left, her back straight, her head high. She ignored the other students even as she walked to the office. She found the office of the Dean of Students and pushed the door open. She saw Jareth standing there, his hands tucked behind her back and walked in, annoyed. "Well, seems like no one saw fit to invite the 'poor victim' to the party."

Jareth whirled, staring at her in surprise. "Sarah, you should not be here-"

"I concur, Miss Williams, you have no business-"

"I assure you, I do have business here." She pulled out a thick book, dropping it onto the Dean's desk. "I've peeled through this, every day since after this started. I've scoured it, looking for a rule that says a teacher and student can't date. There _isn't_ one."

"Miss Williams-"

"Jareth is a good man, and he's being slandered by news people for something that _I_ started. Me. Not him. He didn't throw me onto his bed. All he did was ask me to clean up around his apartment, and in doing that, I got to know him better. I met him three years ago, long before I was student and he was teacher. Past history."

Jareth wasn't looking at her. His gaze was cast to the ground, his face indifferent. "Sarah, this is not necessary-"

"Not necessary my ass, Jareth!" She grabbed one silk sleeve of his shirt, jerking him so he faced her. "I love you, and I'm not going to let them do this! I wont let them hurt you! I'm not going to let you poof off and leave me alone and pregnant!"

His eyes snapped up when she said she loved him, and turned into dinner plates at the word pregnant. "I beg your-"

She blushed, realizing what she'd just let slip. Well, that wasn't quite how she intended to do all that. "I got a call from the hospital yesterday...I'm pregnant, Jareth," she said softly. "I prepared this..." She pulled out a letter, setting it on the Dean's desk. The poor man looked a little stricken. "I'm withdrawing from school anyways. I can't stay in past the end of the semester and with all this...I wanted to do what I could for him."

Jareth gripped her wrist, pulling her against his chest. "I can't let you do this-"

"You can't stop me." She said softly, gently pushing him away. She turned towards the Dean. "Please reinstate Professor King. Since I'm not a student any more, then our affair shouldn't cause any problems."

The Dean looked over the letter, frowning deeply. "It is very irresponsible of you to sacrifice your future for an affair which couldn't have been going on for very long." He said, his voice cross. "The implications of Professor King's abuse of power-"

"He didn't abuse anything-"

"I did extort you into being my maid, precious." He reminded her.

She smiled faintly. "Yes, but only so I would have to spend time with you, you fraud."

He smiled faintly. "Guilty as charged." He looked towards the Dean, smiling faintly. "I realize she has done all of this for me, however, I'm afraid if she leaves the school, I shall be leaving as well. Seeing as I'm about to be a father, it is only responsible." He saw her gaping at him and laughed. "What did you expect, precious? Every Tuesday, watching you squirm in your seat, torn between wanting to punch me and wanting to stare at my ass was highly entertaining. What ever will I do without you there? Teaching would be quite boring indeed."

She couldn't stop the grin forming on her face. After a moment of grinning stupidly up at him, she turned to the Dean. "Well, that's the story, that's the situation." She turned towards her Goblin King and smiled up at him. "Can we poof off to my room to grab some things, and then by my house to tell everyone the news?"

"What news, precious?"

"That we're eloping."

He grinned broadly at her. "Your father will be furious, you realize?"

"Total meltdown." She agreed. "Let's go."

The Dean could only sit there in shock as Professor King wrapped his arms around Sarah Williams and they disappeared, leaving only the faintest trace of smoke and glitter behind...

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_AN: Yeah, I think that's the end. Yay, Jareth's going to be a daddy! Originally this was going to be two chapters, but I'm afraid this is how it wound up. There will be repercussions for Sarah snapping her confession in such an awkward situation, I'd imagine. XD Anyways, Yay, first completed Labyrinth fic. I hope everyone enjoyed, and thanks millions for all of the reviews. I'll likely go through at a later date and flush out this chapter a bit, but for now...here you go._

_Hopefully my stress related writer's block will go away soon, giving me the inspiration required to finish a few other fics..._


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